Parc de la Ligue Arabe

The park was laid out from 1918 by the landscape architect Albert Laprade as part of the plan for the new Casablanca - a long formal green with avenues of Canary palm, pergolas, fountains and lawns, running through the middle of the French city with the Sacré-Coeur church at one end and residential blocks along both sides, and for a century it was the central public space of a city that has few. It went into decline and was closed for a renovation that ran from 2016 to 2019 and was argued over throughout: several hundred mature trees were felled, the design was substantially changed, and heritage groups objected publicly. What reopened is cleaner, better lit, more paved and less shaded than what was there before, and the argument about whether that was an improvement continues. It is still the city's main park and it is used heavily.

History

In 1913 the architect and planner Albert Laprade was appointed, under Henri Prost, to design the central park of the new city, first named Parc Lyautey. Arches from the old Portuguese prison of Anfa were moved here to carry a pergola, and the Parc Yasmina amusement park was added in the 1950s; renovation began in March 2016 (Wikipedia, Arab League Park).

The main sights

• A 1918 formal plan - Canary palm avenues and pergolas through the French city.
• A contested renovation - mature trees felled and the design changed, and objected to.
• More paving, less shade - the practical result of the 2016 to 2019 works.
• Heavy use - the central public space of a city with few of them.

When to go

October to April; evenings when the city uses it. An hour or two.

Practical notes

The renovation removed much of the mature shade and is still criticised locally. It is a city park, not a destination. Summer midday is hot with less cover than there was. The cathedral at the end is usually closed.

Nearby

The Casablanca cathedral is at one end; the Villa des Arts is beside it.

Key facts