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

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.