Like every major city in the world, Rabat the capital of Morocco, has its rich and its poor parts of the city
I spend a lot of my time in the more affluent areas called Swissi and Hay Riad
but I choose to live in one of its poorer areas here in l'Ocean
The reason may seem quite obvious.
As far as I know, Rabat is the only city in the world
that offers these awesome views to its poorer rather than its richer citizens
but it isn't just these wonderful views that makes me stay in l'Ocean
and in this video
I want to argue that the people who live in the richer parts of the city are missing out on some vital aspects of community living
There's no doubt that these areas are incredibly beautiful with their tree-lined streets and green grass pavements
but along with the beauty is the fact that...
these places are boring
There's no life on the streets. No sense of vibrancy or community
Everything is online - behind closed doors
In contrast, the streets of l'Ocean are full of life.
Cafes, as well as trees, line the cracked uneven streets
Mechanics work on repairing and beautifying cars.
There's always someone to say "hi" to
This is Takaddoum: another poor area of Rabat.
Takaddoum seems to have a reputation as being a bit of a thieves' paradise
The advice given to anybody coming here is to not have your mobile phone and your money on display.
In fact, whilst filming here, a resident came to me and advised me to hide my mobile phone
but I find Takadoum an enjoyable and interesting place to walk through
There are plenty of things to look at and buy at very cheap prices.
The poorer areas of Rabat give a greater sense of Morocco
Take a walk through the more affluent areas, and you could be almost anywhere in the world
l'Ocean is very close to the medina: the old part of Rabat.
This is where you come for a cheap meal
to get your IT repaired
and to buy stolen mobile phones
In the evening, residents and friends meet and chat in the open spaces
building on the sense of community that already exists in these otherwise poor neighbourhoods
when I first came to Rabat many years ago and didn't know anybody,
I would spend my evenings here at the plaza at Bab al Had - just people watching
It helped me feel as if I were part of the community
It's not a feeling I think I would have had if I had moved to Swissie or Hay Riad
The area has improved significantly since then.
Traffic calming measures have been put into place
making Bab al Had more people friendly and an even better place to hang out
As you stroll through these streets in the evening,
you stumble across a lot of eye-catching and engaging entertainment that you simply can't find in the posh neighbourhoods
They do say the reason why rich people didn't want to live by the ocean is because of the smell.
In very recent times, human waste was pumped not far enough out to sea
On certain mornings with the wind in the right direction, the odour of the city's human waste blew back to shore
Things have changed now.
A new system means the smell has gone...
...but the rich are coming
l'Ocean is transforming rapidly
There used to be illegal poorly built extensions to houses in this area
On one day - and I do mean "one day" the council came and knocked down all the extensions the
It's made area brighter and more open
It would have been nice if they use this space for cycle paths or wider pavements, but they haven't
The thought has been about cars rather than about pedestrians and cyclists
Still an improvement on the previous claustrophobic feel to some of these streets, but
but nevertheless it's a missed opportunity to make even greater improvements to some of these streets
I feel sure that the decision to be more car friendly
in communities where everything essential is within walking distance
is a worrying indication of things to come
Richer Rabat citizens are beginning to take an interest in the ocean
There are new builds everywhere
and the fresh Covid-free ocean breeze encourages richer Rabat citizens to buy into the area
Who knows whether l'Ocean's pavements will turn grass green?
The question is in the end will it be worth it if these vibrant communities are lost in the enriching of poor Rabat.