Pace and Forms of the Global South’s urban sprawl: a case study for Tangier and Its Suburbs (Northern Morocco)

Pace and Forms of the Global South’s urban sprawl: a case study for Tangier and Its Suburbs (Northern Morocco) | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Pace and Forms of the Global South’s urban sprawl: a case study for Tangier and Its Suburbs (Northern Morocco) CHAIMAE SALAH-RAHMOUNI, MUSTAPHA HMAMOU, HANANE JLLIBAN This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8474743/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 07 Apr, 2026 Read the published version in GeoJournal → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract In this paper, we explore urban sprawl and the functional effects of urbanisation in periurban areas of the Global South through a case study centred on Tangier, located in northern Morocco, from the late 1960s to 2024. The study uses artificial intelligence via the MapFlow API to automatically extract building footprints and, in conjunction with QGIS and ArcMap, analyse the data spatially, providing systematic monitoring of urban expansion over the past decade. Statistical data provide insights into key factors driving this growth and their impact on neighbouring sectors. Results show a rapid expansion of the built environment into peri-urban areas, with farmland gradually being converted into multifunctional sites that accommodate migrants, intensify industrial activities, and support road and infrastructure development. This unchecked growth underscores the need to develop new strategies for effective territorial governance. Tangier’s urban planning needs to consider the profile of neighbouring regions, and it also has to bring forward requested land types in terms of infrastructure and transportation networks, parks, and green spaces to accommodate sustainable urbanisation. Urban expansion suburban areas infrastructure land use change artificial intelligence geospatial analysis Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 07 Apr, 2026 Read the published version in GeoJournal → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. 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