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Reflecting on the urban plan of the Madina and the Modernised part of Marrakesh, an evident difference is the density of housing and the distribution of roads. In the Madina, you can see a hierarchy of vehicle roads and pedestrian passages that allow for the dense urban plan. In the Modernized area of Marrakesh however the roads are the standard 7m wide 2 way streets.The wider streets invite more direct sun light creating an uncomfortable walking environment in a country of such extreme heat.

The density of the Madina creates cooler external environments but were designed historically for animal carriages, trade routes and pedestrian routes. The current urban layout of the Madina does not allow for vehicle parking spaces anywhere within its plan. Since transportation is a key element in our modern societies, the idea of my thesis is to modernise the Madina’s urban plan while making use of the existing concepts which seem to suffice in achieving a comfortable environment for the residences.

The location of the site is near the Madina wall and it works on testing the idea of having an area of parking spaces that is within a maximum of 50m to a person’s home. In addition, working with creating a comfortable external environment, the optimization of the heights of the vaults results in maximum shading for all pedestrian routes leading to ones home.

The concept promotes the current dense urban layouts while bringing in the possibility of adapting to modern transportation needs. The model site plan is set to be used as a starting point for establishing new developments.