4 Green Cities Along the Trans Saharan Highway to Curb Exodus to the North

Ministry of Environment is due to start building up 4 big green cities along the trans-Saharan highway, as by 2014.

The project is to be announced on 20 August, while the works kick-off is scheduled for 2014, sources close to the Ministry of Environment said.

The 4 big green towns are to be constructed in the localities of Azirir, Moulay Ahcen tombe, Ain M’guel, and les Gorges d’Araq, southern Ain Salah; with a capacity of 250 thousand residents each. 

Authorities aim at creating economic and demographic poles all along the trans-Saharan highway, in order to encourage the nomads stabilizing along the road, and ultimately curb the excessive mass exodus towards northern cities. 

The green towns in question have been designed by the famous Italian architect Vittorio Gregotti. He is head of the Gregotti Associati studio, which designed several important buildings, such as the Barcelona Olympic Stadium, the Belém Cultural Center in Lisbon, the Arcimboldi Opera Theater in Milan and several university campuses, including that of the University of Calabria. 

The aforementioned green cities will hold desert climate resistant houses, with Moresque style architecture. The cities are to be equipped with education facilities, shops, stadiums, playing yards, crafts and trade spaces, natural air-conditioning, and wastes recycling system to preserve the biodiversity of the cities. The dwellers of these new cities will be able to practice agriculture and ranching.