commune-tunis.gov.tn-التهيئة العمرانية والتعمير

Urban renovation

Oukalas Project

The two broad objectives of the oukalas project consist in intercepting the degradation and the disappearance of a housing stock with architectural and historical interest and promoting the social condition of the citizen of the area.

Realisations starting from 1/1/1991 to 31/5/2002

Socio-urban repercussions

The fourth stage

Presentation of the project

After the Independence, the Medina accommodated a large number of migrants come from the interior of the country in search of work. Thus, several public and private constructions changed into “Oukalas”, i.e. of spaces common rented to the part with families which in the majority of the cases do not have any family ties between them.

The Medina underwent degradation due to the regression of the economic conditions and the disappearance of the civic structures and the collapse of the palates and houses given up by their owners who preferred modern dwellings in the new districts.

These multifamily apartments of which the number is of 600 knew a considerable overpopulation. They sheltered nearly 3000 families (approximately 15,000 people) It rose from it many social, medical problems and of environment. In concretization of the main interest which the President grants to the needy families, the municipality of Tunis continues the application of a number of projects of restoration, urban renovation and modernization of the lifestyle in the Medina, the whole forming part of a clear and integrated strategy .

The Project of Oukalas was born following the unexpected visit to one of the Oukalas of the capital, on December 20th, 1990.

Priorities of the intervention :

The socio-economic investigations carried out by the municipality in collaboration with the various public authorities showed that: two thirds of the inhabitants of Oukalas to the weak incomes (not exceeding two hundred dinars per month) are distributed as follows:

Approximately 120 old men live alone and without family.

Approximately 30% of these families live under the responsibility of a woman (widowed, divorced, separated or whose husband is imprisoned).

the inhabitants of Oukalas belong to professional or artisanal fringes of scanty mean.

the other third of the inhabitants has average revenues (between 250 and 400 dinars per month).

The large families form the majority (5 people and more) taking account of the results of these socio-economic investigations, the municipality of Tunis started the realization of the project by stages according to a program of precise intervention and the degree of danger of threat of ruin with an aim of :

To lodge families remaining in Oukalas ready to crumble.

To regenerate the public buildings and the historic buildings and to get new residences with the families which live in some of these buildings.

To reallocate the public buildings with social and cultural works.

To restore the public and private buildings which one decided to preserve.

To encourage the private owners with the restoration of their buildings by the granting of credit under accessible conditions, and the direct intervention where necessary within the framework of imperative work.

To carry out this project, the investments emanate from :

Self- funding of the municipality to face the expenditure intended for the studies, work of demolition, expropriation.

Loan with the profit of the municipality of an amount of 1,269 .500 Dinars within the framework of the use of the remainder of the loan of the World Bank reserved to the 3rd urban project (644 500 dinars) and of the F NR A H (National Fund for the Improvement of the Habitat) (625 000 dinars).

Loan of the Arab Fund of the socio-economic development to the profit of the municipality with the guarantee of the Tunisian government of an amount of 5 million Kuwaiti dinars (being equivalent to 22.5 million Tunisian dinars) within the framework of the third stage of the Oukalas project.

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