Fez Medina regeneration project launched

The project will regenerate the world's oldest medina.

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The world's oldest and largest medina will be restored as part of a $700 million US government-sponsored project in Morocco.

The medina at Fez, which was registered as a UNESCO heritage site 20 years ago, will convert parts of the ailing site into a mixed use urban space that will attract both visitors and residents of Fez, according to the project organizers.

The project will span the site of Place Lalla Yeddouna (approximately 7,400m²) and will form a key part of the $697.5m MCA-Morocco Program which looks to reduce the high levels of poverty in Morocco by stimulating economic growth in the region.

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Arranged on the banks of the main river in Fez, Oued Al Jawahir, Place Lalla Yeddouna is formed of modest residences of neutral hue connected by a complex network of narrow passageways and historic streets.

Formerly a key communication and transport hub, Oued Al Jawahir is now vastly underutilised and the urban developments on its banks have become disengaged from one another.

London-based architecture practice Mossessian and Partners beat around 1,400 architects who registered to undertake the project.

"The key thing is to respect the spaces between buildings, since these are where the action happens; so Place Lalla is the perfect starting point for regenerating the life of Fez's Medina,” said Michel Mossessian, the firm’s principal and founder.