Le paysage de nos villes dénaturé

The landscape of our cities is denatured

Urban planning

When flying over Algerian cities, the view from above of these cities seems so graceful and orderly. But the closer you get, you notice a stark contrast between the old and new buildings. The old buildings have kept their charm with their red-brick tile roofs despite their deterioration that requires restoration, but they are also not spared from modifications.
On the other hand, the new constructions (new cities) that are still in the planning stage (without any finishing), despite being habitable, have completely distorted the landscape of the cities. These dwellings are mostly the consequences of the construction of illegal buildings regularized by complacency (without a site plan; no construction plan, no control), and in the end we get cities full of anarchic houses without a modern architectural model that make the cities ugly. Why? We turn our backs on the architect.
The consequence of this anarchy also comes from the awarding of public sector contracts or house construction to building charlatans who have no qualifications, no mastery of the trade and no basic notion of construction standards as well as the necessary tools and means of control. The choice of construction companies or mason craftsmen (without generalizing) has never met competency criteria (rare cases), but much to the stupid and disciplined allegiance.
The results are known through the floods that cause disasters observed each year. The source of the problem is that all the criteria of the markets are based mainly on the lowest bidder.
This is the result of non-compliance with the quality of the materials used, followed by poor work, and above all the lack of control before the delivery of the housing.
In conclusion, after the first rain showers, we are very surprised by the floods which cause serious and inestimable disasters observed every winter, like the city of 1200 AADL housing units in Jijel located at the 5th km where the water level exceeded the first floor.
To this end, builders must return to real construction standards and inspection bodies must be on top of unannounced and periodic monitoring of construction sites, the aim of which is continuous improvement, which will become a true tradition anchored in our minds.
Why did the State introduce a law setting out all the rules for ensuring compliance with public and private construction, but which are not applied on the ground?
These non-conformities are still ongoing, to this day, and the problem has remained since July 20, 2008. (1) Furthermore, we have not advanced one iota and without any improvement, in terms of hygiene, because what we see more closely, we see the worst, so our cities are soiled and even abandoned, left to their own devices without any reaction. Why this neglect and negligence in cities across the country?
Because you have to see it to believe it: the country is crumbling under all kinds of garbage. The streets of Algeria have become dirty and its beaches and forests are not immune to this curse. Whether you walk in the East, the West, the Center or the South, it is always the same observation. Even the trees are not spared and are also attacked by axes and saws. The heart sinks at the sight of these hacked trees, cut down to half the trunk.
This phenomenon is seen in Jijel where the plane trees (more than a hundred years old) planted along the triangular perimeter which encloses the three main arteries of the city, namely: Avenue Abdelhamid Benbadis – Avenue Emir Abdelkader – Avenue du 1er Novembre 1954 without forgetting those of the Avenue des Moudjahidine (Oasis) suffered the same fate.
Are we enemies of the tree? This inestimable wealth that contributes in many ways to improving the quality of life.
The country is dying, gangrened by a curse that we ourselves have generated: filth.
Nothing comes by chance and nothing comes from nothing, but the situation is dramatic because the involvement of the population is lacking.
I am pained to see the indifference that is allowed to appear in the face of the hygiene problem that our country is experiencing because of the incivility of some citizens (without generalizing). It seems that people do not see the state of insalubrity in which we are evolving.
So what good is it for our homes to be clean and well maintained if our exteriors are cluttered with garbage? When our streets, our common spaces are also ours in the same way as our homes?
We must not oppose or resist the change of our behaviors that are harmful to our environment; otherwise, we will remain stuck, so the consequences will be unfortunate. “It is better to take change by the hand before it takes us by the throat.” (2)
While Islam requires the Muslim to be clean in all respects. And the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “Ritual purification is half of faith.”
To this end, the principle that can be deduced is that the Muslim believer must protect himself from any behavior or attitude related to hygiene that could harm or indispose someone else. It is not because our leaders who observe and do not regulate and turn a deaf ear to the expectations of citizens, on the state of the urban environment. But also the responsibility lies with the citizen with the lack of vigilance and the lack of civic-mindedness (without generalizing) towards his living environment as well as the landscape of our cities which is in an advanced state of delinquency.
It is also time for the public authorities to govern strategically, to put in place a sustainable action plan and not one of complacency to moralize and raise awareness in society about all the evils that threaten us daily and this with the support of specialists in the field but through schools, institutes; universities; mosques, radios; televisions and newspapers, and this, in addition to the home whose ideal is the salvation of our society.
Otherwise, for repeat offenders, the public authorities must take action to punish all offences contrary to the laws in force, while being fair and impartial.
But we must put into our minds that without civic-mindedness and education, everything is doomed to failure. (3)
Finally, in order to improve the living environment of citizens and make the landscape of our cities respectable, it is the duty of those responsible for urban planning to put in place a development work policy that will adapt to the needs of the urban landscape and that will be at the service of the citizen, either at the level of the neighborhood cell or by city brigades.
It is through the neighborhood (cell) that the work of improving the living environment of the citizen must begin, because it is through our civic education and our awareness that it will spread to the entire city. In order to also preserve the civic education of our children, it is essential, today to improve our environment at the threshold of our homes (learn to sweep in front of your house) and this so that each of us can find the amenities necessary for a healthy life, close to home and to avoid our children going far from the neighborhood in search of a more generous and dangerous nature.
To this end, each city must contain quality green space facilities (escape from the stress of homes) with children’s playgrounds, multi-sports grounds, bowling greens and varied vegetation and gardens (regularly maintained by florists as was the case in the past for the garden of the Jijel Town Hall) currently transformed into a small square and will revive in each of us the responsibility to preserve our living environment and safeguard the landscape beauty of our cities. Our cities must breathe through the spaces to be created.
To be continued
Hadj Yacine