Fine-scale GIS Modelling of Peri-urban Industrial Agglomeration: Accessibility, Land-price Gradients and Growth Dynamics in Oulad Azzouz, Morocco

Ayoub Zahrani; Hamza Ait Zamzami; Mohammed Elaanzouli; Jumadi Jumadi; Oumaima Boumeaza; Said Mouak; Abdelghani Ezzardi; Badreddine Ennassiri; Jamila Saidi; Taieb Boumeaza

doi:10.23917/forgeo.v41i1.18001

Authors

Ayoub Zahrani Laboratory of Dynamics of Spaces and Societies (LADES), Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Hassan II University of Casablanca, Mohammedia, Casablanca 20000,Morocco https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5081-7280
Hamza Ait Zamzami Laboratory of Dynamics of Spaces and Societies (LADES), Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Hassan II University of Casablanca, Mohammedia, Casablanca 20000,Morocco https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3741-2028
Mohammed Elaanzouli Laboratory of Dynamics of Spaces and Societies (LADES), Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Hassan II University of Casablanca, Mohammedia, Casablanca 20000,Morocco https://orcid.org/0009-0000-7227-8843
Jumadi Jumadi Department of Geography, Faculty of Geography, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, Surakarta, 57161, Indonesia; INTI International University, Nilai 71800, Negeri Sembilan,Malaysia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1002-3084
Oumaima Boumeaza LAGAGE Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences Ben M’sik, Hassan II University of Casablanca 20000,Morocco https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3090-2701
Said Mouak Laboratory of Dynamics of Spaces and Societies (LADES), Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Hassan II University of Casablanca, Mohammedia, Casablanca 20000,Morocco https://orcid.org/0009-0005-3016-2822
Abdelghani Ezzardi Laboratory of Dynamics of Spaces and Societies (LADES), Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Hassan II University of Casablanca, Mohammedia, Casablanca 20000,Morocco https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4655-7234
Badreddine Ennassiri Laboratory of Space, History and Digital Humanities (EHHD), Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts and Humanities Ben M’sik, Hassan II University of Casablanca, Casablanca 20000,Morocco https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8078-734X
Jamila Saidi Laboratory of Dynamics of Spaces and Societies (LADES), Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Hassan II University of Casablanca, Mohammedia, Casablanca 20000,Morocco
Taieb Boumeaza Laboratory of Dynamics of Spaces and Societies (LADES), Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Hassan II University of Casablanca, Mohammedia, Casablanca 20000,Morocco https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8519-4718

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.23917/forgeo.v41i1.18001

Keywords:

industrial agglomeration, peri-urbanization, GIS, accessibility, land-price gradient, spatial planning, Casablanca-Settat, Morocco

Abstract

Industrial expansion on the metropolitan fringe rarely follows a random geography. Firms respond to accessibility, land markets and the cumulative advantages of co-location, while inherited territorial structure constrains where new investment can be directed. Fine-scale evidence from North African peri-urban communes nevertheless remains scarce, particularly regarding emerging industrial spaces at the edge of major metropolitan economies. This study therefore develops a GIS-based analytical framework to map and explain the spatial distribution and growth dynamics of industrial establishments in the Commune of Oulad Azzouz, Casablanca-Settat, Morocco. Verification and satellite-image interpretation were integrated with transport infrastructure, administrative boundaries, and land-price information. The analysis combined temporal establishment profiling, proximity analysis, proximity-based interpretation of transport infrastructure, land-price gradient interpretation, kernel density estimation, and average nearest-neighbor statistics. Industrial growth was shown to follow a strongly clustered pattern: the observed mean nearest-neighbor distance between establishments was 289.21 m, against an expected distance of 453.07 m, yielding a nearest-neighbor ratio of 0.63 (z = −8.83, p < 0.001). Density was markedly uneven. 38% of the commune fell within high or very high-density classes, while 32% remained low or very low. Establishments concentrated along accessible road corridors and in zones where land values are moderate relative to more expensive locations near Casablanca. Once establishment counts were normalized by period length, the 2021–2023 phase indicated renewed formation intensity rather than decline. The findings deliver commune-scale geospatial evidence of industrial agglomeration on a Moroccan metropolitan fringe and support infrastructure-led, land-sensitive and environmentally cautious industrial planning.

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