Book Overview: Blida’s Urban Evolution
This 343-page book, a co-publication with the University of Lyon and the University of Algiers, is the author’s doctoral thesis. It uses Blida as a case study to analyze the legacy of past urban structures left by French colonization and urbanization plans. It specifically examines the break with the colonial economic and social organization following independence.
Key Sections and Findings
1. The Inhabited Space
The first part, “L’espace habité,” traces the impact of the Turkish and French colonial periods and assesses changes up to 1974. It offers a classic analysis of the “French-style” urban model complicated by the colonial society’s segregative socio-spatial relations.
After independence, migration redistributed the population. New, solvent middle classes moved into former European districts. Meanwhile, the periphery expanded its role, welcoming rural people from less privileged regions.
2. Habitat Policy and Planning
The second section introduces the housing policy launched by Algerian public authorities starting in the mid-1970s. The author studies the new urban planning procedures, which were distant echoes of French models. While official plans tried to coordinate building on municipal land, illicit construction flourished on private plots, a common issue across the Maghreb.
3. Measuring Integration
Personal, in-depth studies of the peripheral neighborhoods like Ouled Yalla and Bou Arfa measure their degree of integration or marginality. The conclusion confirms the enduring socio-spatial gaps in Blida. Differences persist between the middle-class center and the “wild urbanization” of the periphery. The proximity to Algiers worsens the housing problem. The author finds it difficult to conclude that the space has been fully “returned” or transformed.
Value for Geographers
Geographers will find this work valuable. Joëlle Deluz-Labruyère accessed difficult-to-obtain sources from key Algerian ministries (Agriculture, Planning, Agrarian Revolution). She competently analyzed detailed censuses from 1966 and 1977. The study’s abundance and precision of data and iconography are notable, despite some readability loss from the smaller print format. The book provides high-quality information on the recent evolution of Algerian cities through the lens of Blida.