# The requalification of degraded districts, what role of urban improvement operations in the re-appropriation and revitalization of Annaba's collective housing areas?

Hayet Mebirouk, Nacima Hacini-Chikh, Fatiha Mebirouk-Boubendir

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Hayet Mebirouk, Nacima Hacini-Chikh, Fatiha Mebirouk-Boubendir. The requalification of degraded districts, what role of urban improvement operations in the re-appropriation and revitalization of Annaba's collective housing areas?. YMER Journal, 2023, 22 (5), pp.546-561. [hal-03973529v3](https://hal.science/hal-03973529v3)

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# The requalification of degraded districts, what role of urban improvement operations in the re-appropriation and revitalization of Annaba's collective housing areas?

Hayet MEBIROUK¹, Nacima HACINI-CHIKH²*,
Fatiha MEBIROUK-BOUBENDIR³

¹ Teacher-researcher, University of Constantine 3 Salah Boubnider

² Teacher-researcher, University Badji Mokhtar of Annaba

³ Senior lecturer, Constantine 1- Frères Mentouri University

¹ « *hayat.mebirouk@univ-constantine3.dz* »

² « *nacima.hacini-chikh@univ-annaba.dz* »

³ « *fatiha.mebirouk@umc.edu.dz* »

## Abstract

Urban requalification is a method of urbanization that modifies the physical characteristics of a space by giving it a new vocation. It is also a political strategy led by the public authorities with a view to revitalizing old or degraded fabrics through new functions. The Algerian strategy for the improvement and adjustment of an urban quality was concretized in 2000 thanks to the urban improvement programs within the framework of an ambitious program which aims to improve the conditions and living environment of the citizens.

Based on a field survey, the objective of this work is to evaluate the capacity of local administrations to mobilize the implementation tools to carry out these programs. We will also try to examine if these operations have allowed the re-appropriation and the revitalization of the new urban housing areas of Annaba.

**Keywords:** Urban improvement, requalification, re-appropriation of spaces, revitalization, degraded neighborhoods, public space, new urban housing area, Annaba.

<footnote>* Corresponding author (Nacima HACINI-CHIKH)</footnote>
# 1. Introduction

The term "requalification" refers to an action that restores quality and shows a desire to spare the built heritage (Novarina, Pucci, 2004: 83). Associated with that which is urban, the notion is often used to offer a new vocation to the territory by capitalizing on its development or redevelopment opportunities. It reinforces the consolidation of the environment concerned and the design of new spaces and projects in favour of a social and functional mix. Urban requalification is additionally used to define very different projects, initiated by inhabitants, private actors and public authorities. Urban requalification can range from a project to redevelop a street and rehabilitate an old building to projects in order to improve the quality of life of the inhabitants and the economic development of the city, as well as projects to redevelop old or degraded areas (Guinand, 2009, Rouchet, 2009).

Urban requalification is therefore necessary to initiate political strategies led by local authorities in order to revitalize suburban and degraded districts with new functions (urban, residential and commercial). The Algerian strategy for the improvement and adjustment of an urban quality was born at the beginning of 1983 in accordance with the policy of reclaiming disadvantaged neighborhoods, which took concrete form in the framework of the 1985 Urban Master Plan with the restructuring/renovation program (Decree n°83-684 of 1983).

The mutations of the disadvantaged neighborhoods in Annaba were established through urban restructuring operations after demolition, but this operation could not achieve its objectives because of its complexity and high cost. Towards the beginning of the 1990s and in the face of the political events that the country experienced, Algeria sank into a security crisis, and no planning policy was undertaken during this decade. It was only in the 2000s that the public authorities attempted to launch operations to address the deficit in infrastructure and comfort amenities in the neighborhoods with the urban improvement program. The latter aims to requalify the peripheral extensions by implementing rehabilitation and spatial reclamation operations integrating multiple dimensions: social, economic and urban. The objective of these operations is to improve the living conditions of the inhabitants by intervening on the urban space. It is therefore a multisectoral action plan programmed in the long term that is part of the support plan for economic recovery conducted by several objectives (Laifa, Mebirouk 2021).

The improvement policy is therefore a major interest for the authorities concerned, and proximity management is a central tool for improving the quality of life of citizens within urban environments (Zahi, 2012, Mebirouk, 2018).

The urban improvement as a decennial experience, should it be studied to assess the effectiveness of the means deployed to the implementation of this policy to provide a pleasant living environment for citizens?

The analysis of the policy focuses on suburban territories: degraded neighborhoods facing, in particular, the deterioration of their living environment. These are the new urban housing zones (ZHUN), a procedure equivalent to the French *Zones à urbanisation*
prioritaire (ZUP). Strongly influenced by the construction method used in the 1950s in Western countries, they invested in the construction of collective housing complexes (Mebirouk et al., 2005). For them, this form of urban intervention had many advantages (modern housing quickly implemented). However, just like the policy of large housing estates, the ZHUN procedure proved incapable of keeping up quantitatively with the rate of demand for housing, and of responding qualitatively to the aspirations and needs of the inhabitants.

## 2. Methodology of Approach

The ZHUNs selected for analysis are those of Annaba carried out between 1976-1987 in application of ministerial circular n°355 (Figure 1). These six operations covered an area of 939 ha with a theoretical capacity of 28,362 dwellings, i.e. a very low density of 30.20 dwellings/ha, corresponding to a form of dispersed urbanization, since they recommended on average the construction of 20 to 21 dwellings/ha(34) (DUC, 1998) (Table 1).

<figure><img src="image_1.png" /><figcaption>Figure 1: Location of the ZHUNs of Annaba, Source, Mebirouk, 2002</figcaption></figure>
<table><caption>Table 1. ZHUN operations in Annaba</caption><thead><tr><td>Operation</td><td>Area Ha</td><td>Theoretical capacity (dwelling)</td><td>Density dwelling/ha</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Plaine-Ouest I</td><td>110</td><td>3 688</td><td>33,52</td></tr><tr><td>Plaine Ouest II</td><td>194</td><td>5 200</td><td>26,80</td></tr><tr><td>El-Bouni</td><td>155</td><td>4 500</td><td>29,03</td></tr><tr><td>Sidi-Amar</td><td>400</td><td>12 574</td><td>31,42</td></tr><tr><td>Berrahal</td><td>30</td><td>1 000</td><td>33,30</td></tr><tr><td>Boukhadra</td><td>50</td><td>1 400</td><td>28,00</td></tr><tr><td>Total/department</td><td>939</td><td>28 362</td><td>30,20</td></tr></tbody></table>

Source, DUC, 1998.

For a relevant analysis of the requalification of collective housing complexes within these neighborhoods, we conducted fieldwork based on the collection of general information (books, research works, Algerian press articles, etc.) and specific information from the organizations concerned (statistics, cartography, figures, etc.) constituting a necessary means to carry out our reflection.

In order to find the best way to approach the subject, one step was necessary: the selection of previous research related to the question asked. Among these researches, we quote on the one hand the thesis of Magistrates of N. Zahi (2012) through which she tried to give an account of the programs of urban improvement and their implementations in the districts of the big complexes of Annaba; and on the other hand the article of H. Mebirouk (2019) in which she studied the effects of the programs in question on the rehabilitation of the image of the cities of collective housing of Annaba and the appropriation of spaces by the inhabitants.

The technique of visual observation was used here with the aim of identifying the main neighborhoods that benefited from the urban operations, defining the types of intervention and finally evaluating the quality of their execution. This instrument was complemented by semi-directive interviews with the main actors in charge of the urban improvement operation, namely the DUAC (Directorate of Urban Planning, Architecture and Construction). Also called "qualitative or in-depth interview", the semi-directive interview is based on fairly generally formulated and open-ended questions. To carry out this type of interview, the questions are prepared in advance and classified in a logical order and by theme. The advantage of this qualitative technique is that new questions can be asked during the interview in order to deepen the subject matter.

Additionally, another analysis tool was considered fundamental for the technical and normative evaluation of the urban operation, the guide for the implementation of urban improvement works, requalification of the built environment and rehabilitation of open spaces, produced in 2007 by the National Center for Integrated Building Studies and Research (CNERIB).
# 3. Review of the Literature

## 3.1. Urban Requalification, an Action of Urban Renewal

Requalification is defined as "the action of giving a new qualification" (le petit Robert, 2003).

Requalification is the "attribution of a quality". When we say re-qualify, we mean "something that must be done again". This means that there is a past, a history that we inherit.

According to Rouchet (2009), the term requalification is part of a logic of coherent spatial structuring (relations between housing, economic activities, green spaces, etc.) and is carried out in a perspective of improvement or adjustment in order to meet expected criteria. Gasnier (2004: 35) goes further in defining the concept by considering it as an act of political and economic appropriation or re-appropriation. According to Gasnier, requalification is a form of public institutional appropriation/re-appropriation that consists of requalifying an industrial-port area, building a new central hub or reusing a commercial or industrial wasteland. These projects necessarily illustrate a desire for collective re-appropriation, by the local authorities, of spaces in disarray, in crisis or in disuse.

Urban requalification is an action that is part of urban renewal aiming to rebuild the city on itself and is part of a key issue of urban sustainable development. It is therefore a process of intervention on the space but also on the buildings so that they regain their dynamics and their ability to fully play their functions. This process can call upon other operations (restoration, reconstruction, revitalization, regeneration, urban renovation, etc.). This urban operation is concerned with improving the living conditions of the most disadvantaged urban populations, the under-integrated and marginalized neighborhoods known as in decline. This type of operation involves physical requalification and strategic choices that allow for this synergy between social, environmental and economic aspects (Rebout, 2017).

The requalification process calls for a combination of social, economic and urban planning issues aimed at pointing out physical and social emergencies, raising the awareness of stakeholders, and finally developing investigative tools to carry out an operation that meets the contextual requirements.

The objectives of the requalification of deteriorating housing areas can be summarized, according to Hallal (2007) as follows:

- To maintain the identity and symbolic value attributed by the inhabitants;

- Promote socio-spatial equality because from a social point of view, the recycling of housing would allow a population with different incomes to remain in the same neighborhood, thus creating a social mix;

- To revalue local architectural potential, knowing that the improvement of housing could have an impact on the image of a neighborhood and its attraction, on the social mix, on the local economic activity by encouraging new investments and on the value of buildings and rents (Hallal, 2007).
It should be remembered that renewal and requalification are two terms that cover different public policy priorities. Let us take two concrete examples of intervention: the first is that of "urban renewal" in France, and the second relates to the urban requalification programs carried out in Italy. The renewal actions carried out in France found their consecration with the adoption in 2000 of the Solidarity and Urban Renewal Act (SRU). This law makes renewal, along with sustainable development, one of the priority objectives of the new spatial planning tools, the “*Schémas de cohérence territorial*” (SCOT) and the “*Plans locaux d'urbanisme*” (PLU). The urban requalification and sustainable development programs introduced in 1998 by decree involve a wide range of public (State, regions, provinces, municipalities, etc.) or private (land or property owners, bank investors, business groups, etc.) actors, and mobilize various types of financing to achieve objectives relating to the restructuring of infrastructure, the requalification of urban fabrics, the development of economic activities, and the restoration of environmental quality (Novarina, Pucci, 2004).

**3.2. Urban Improvement and Quality of Life**

Being a broad concept, urban improvement does not have a precise definition. However, it can be considered as a global and concerted development action with the aim of restructuring, reorganizing or rehabilitating an urban area in order to favour the maintenance or development of the local population and to promote its social, economic and cultural function.

In Algeria, this concept is summarized in a series of works aimed at improving the quality of life of the inhabitants by offering the best conditions through the development of the urban environment in its physical, social, economic and environmental aspects. Urban improvement offers several types of interventions perceived as an alternative to urban problems, particularly those affecting large neighborhoods through rehabilitation, requalification and beautification (Zahi, 2012).

In legal terms, the urban improvement program does not refer to any specific law. It is a state action decided at the central level and implemented at the local level by the wilaya and its decentralized bodies. However, in order to make this program a success, the public authorities have adopted new laws, the most important of which are Law No. 06-06 of February 20, 2006 on the orientation law for the city. It aims to involve citizens in the management of their city, unlike what has prevailed until now, in a context of administrative planning. This law proposes a coherent policy to improve the living environment of the citizen (art. 10 of the law), the promotion of public spaces and means of transport to facilitate urban mobility. To this we can add the law n°07-06 of May 13, 2007 whose purpose is to define the rules of management, protection and development of green spaces in the framework of sustainable development (art 1 of the law n°07-06).

The execution of urban improvement operations has been carried out by some actions devoted to treat the effects as well as the causes of the deterioration of the urban fabric since the 80s. The program of upgrading of the Algerian urban fabric has been conducted on the entire national housing stock by targeting more than 938 housing estates across
the national territory. The objectives of this operation include safety, hygiene, comfort and the creation of a pleasant environment (CNERIB, 2007, Karsenty, 2015).

To achieve these objectives, the Algerian government allocated a budget of around 100 billion dinars in 2007 for urban development alone, spread over 48 wilayas to correct the disorders observed in more than 7,500 sites and improve living conditions and environment (Mebirouk, 2018).

The importance of these works depends on the location of the sector to be developed, its location (urban, peri-urban or rural), the configuration of the land (flat or in relief), and finally the construction project.

Achieving the objective of intervention on all apparent surface areas requires, as specified by CNERIB (2007), taking care of the following aspects

- service roads and parking areas;

- sidewalks, pedestrian walkways and alleys;

- urban lighting;

- masonry works (retaining walls, separation walls, etc.);

- miscellaneous buildings (technical rooms, sanitary facilities, etc.);

- external stairs, ramps, steps and fences;

- green spaces;

- planting and the development of playgrounds;

- street furniture and signage.

Managed and supervised mainly by the deconcentrated Directions of the Wilaya: Direction of Urbanism of Architecture and Construction, (DUAC), the urban improvement operation is theoretically based on a participatory approach as far as the involvement of the inhabitants is one of the conditions of concretization of the said programs. The DUAC ensures in accordance with Decree No. 13-13 of 2013, multiple missions whose main ones are to collect and analyze data on urban planning and architecture, to centralize the elements for the establishment of the program of urban planning studies to be retained on the territory of wilaya (department). The DUAC also intervenes on the urban fabric through these urban operations thanks to the construction department. This department is in charge of appointing the design office as well as the realization companies for the design and the realization of the project.

The field survey reveals that the choice of sectors concerned by the rehabilitation operations is made according to a participatory process. A commission is set up for this purpose bringing together the services concerned by the operation in order to decide on the priorities and define the missions in accordance with the texts in force. The public actor of the DUAC emphasizes that the urban improvement operation must be a collective effort. "It must be carried out by associating all the sectors concerned, particularly civil society." Therefore, the urban operation is based on the partnership between the State and the local population and aims to support several options including that of the responsible involvement of local populations through their participation. This is specified in the law of orientation of the city stipulating that citizens are associated
with programs relating to the management of their living environment (Zahi, 2012, Mebirouk, 2019).

In addition, it should be noted that the *Office de Promotion et de Gestion Immobilière (OPGI)*, as a public operator, is responsible for the management of sanitation operations ( crawl spaces) and the restructuring of buildings (renovation of facades, waterproofing and painting, etc.) as part of the rehabilitation program (Mebirouk, 2019). To support the OPGI's efforts, a public urban improvement company responsible for managing, rehabilitating and maintaining public lighting, networks and pavements was created in Annaba in 2016. The establishment of this Public Industrial and Commercial Establishment (EPIC), according to the former prefect of Annaba (Youcef Chorfa) is part of an action plan that aims to correct the imbalances and shortcomings in the management of the urban environment. In the same context, the EPIC "Annaba Clean", in collaboration with the Giz and the Union of Neighborhood Committees of the wilaya of Annaba has organized a day of awareness with a cleaning campaign, enriched by animations for residents of the neighborhood Oued-D'heb in the presence of the Directorate of Environment Annaba.

## 4. The ZHUNs of Annaba and their Urban Spaces

Approaching the problem of the ZHUNs leads us to briefly address the policy of large complexes which were built to " make man happy " and solve the post-war housing crisis. Resulting from a "crane road urbanism" these constructions are often arranged in square, staggered, star-shaped, etc. in order to provide sufficient prospects between them. The first large housing estates, in the 1950s, were synonymous with modernity thanks to the road infrastructure and the underground facilities that accompanied them and which thus allowed the housing to have all the elements of modern comfort. From 1958 onwards, within the framework of the ZUP, the new housing estates also began to be equipped with collective commercial, social and cultural facilities.

In 1970, the large housing estates became real underprivileged ghettos and it was from this point that the public authorities began to take action on the built environment. Their intervention focused on a simple and mobilizing idea: to make low-income housing districts into districts like any others so that the spectre of the ghetto would recede.

The creation of large ZHUNs throughout Algeria has generated suburbs whose structure and urban form are those of large complexes where tower blocks and oversized roads constitute a discontinuous and fragmented structure (Amirèche, 2000). The ZHUN space thus created is characterized by the presence of unquestionable social heterogeneity (Zerdoumi, 1996), by a monotonous built space, and by a non-built space impoverished under the pressure of the lowest cost and the obscuring of the elementary foundations of the inhabited (Mebirouk, et al., 2005).

The ZHUNs of Algeria in general and those of Annaba in particular are experiencing a degradation of their urban spaces. This is, moreover, one of the most visible dimensions of the dysfunctions affecting these neighborhoods also marked by the deterioration of the quality of life of their inhabitants which feeds feelings of
abandonment, rejection from the rest of society and lack of future (Kertudo, et al., 2018). These entities are poor in truly public spaces, their definition as mere residues of private spaces continues to prevail in this matter. This qualification, carrying amalgam, persists in the absence of any legal definition specific to this concept (Mebirouk, 2002). These public spaces have been designed according to very limited criteria: circulation, physical appearance, lower cost, and are the result of a development reduced to its simple expression. Their oversizing leads to a double disadvantage: economically, it is the waste of land that must be acquired, paved, equipped and maintained, and on a practical level, it is the dilution of space and possible inconveniences provided by poorly designed facilities. The poverty of their design in the face of the expectations of city dwellers, their inadequacy to the needs of the inhabitants, means that we have public spaces that are fabricated on a daily basis. The unsuitability of spaces is felt by the population and is generally expressed by phenomena that are more or less immediate and spectacular (conflicts between different types of traffic, superimposition of activities, insecurity, etc.) (Sablet, 1988).

The outdoor spaces characterising the peripheral extensions do not meet the aspirations of users. These spaces, which have been strongly criticised by research studies (Zerdoumi, 1996, Amirèche, 2000, Mebirouk, 2002, Semmoud, 2009, Zahi, 2012), have been the major concern of various actors since the 2000s, including spatial professionals, political and economic actors and finally users (inhabitants). The debate on the planning of public space is no longer confined to the restricted sphere of professionals; it has become widely public and includes a multitude of viewpoints (Mebirouk, 2012).

The renewed interest by the public authorities in the ZHUNs is based on the desire to improve the living environment of the citizens of the most degraded districts, which are the subject of paving work, the embellishment of certain arteries, the creation of urban furniture and public lighting. Urban improvement is intended to be a global approach based on several themes: reclaiming the district, urban planning, urban landscape, upgrading of public spaces, economic revitalisation of the district and its urban integration (Zahi, 2012).

**5. Urban Improvement Works in the Wilaya of Annaba: Between Success and Failure**

The wilaya (department) of Annaba has benefited from a financial envelope estimated at 748.70 million Algerian dinars (5,601,655.85 US Dollar) as part of the first five-year plan (1999-2004). This budget was intended for the launch of urban improvement operations affecting 74 sites. A large part of this budget was devoted to the problems of sanitation in the main town.

From the second five-year plan (2005-2010), a financial envelope of 11,795.935 million Algerian dinars was distributed over 272 sites in the 12 communes of the wilaya. The aim was to improve the quality of life of citizens and to build the various public works networks. The works undertaken, within the framework of the third five-year program (2010-2014), included the rehabilitation of the main roads and the main district
of the Commune of El-Bouni while concentrating the effort on the renovation of the sanitation network and drinking water supply of the city of Annaba in order to protect it from the risks of flooding, which required a financial envelope of 10,000.00 million Algerian dinars (El-Annab, 2007).

The execution of the work of the operation was questioned since the result recorded imperfections noted in certain sites by the public authorities.

In most of the peripheral districts of Annaba, the wastewater network is under-dimensioned given the importance of the current and future extensions which will be imperatively connected to it. Also, the rainwater and domestic water networks are insufficient at the time of the major floods, which is justified by the lack of maintenance of the network and its under-dimensioning. This has led to water stagnation in car parks, roadways and sometimes even at the entrance to buildings (Mebirouk, Hacini-chikh, 2004). This problem has been dealt with in the framework of operations to improve the living environment by setting up a communal program (with the coordination of the sectors concerned). This consisted of an initial operation to connect the various districts.

In addition, the collective housing areas of Annaba have benefited from the development of playgrounds in order to accommodate collective or individual activities practised outside. These spaces, according to the guide drawn up by CNERIB (2007), cannot have any effect if they are not decorated with green space. In addition to being a vital resource for society, greenery has many advantages in the urban environment. It produces oxygen and provides protection against heat by cooling the air.

Understanding a landscape is one of the essential starting points for the design of the space to be developed. This observation mainly concerns: sunshine (sites: favourable with daily sunshine, unfavourable without sunshine), the slope of the site (favourable up to 5% slope), the acoustic environment (discomfort at a sound level exceeding 80 dB), the service capacity, the nature of the soil and the climatic conditions.

It should be mentioned that the design of the green spaces is closely linked to the nature of the soil and the climate, which determines the choice of plants. The design of the vegetation was completed by amenities for users such as: benches for resting, lighting, water features, bus shelters, telephone booths (removed after the use of mobile phones), etc. These various elements make up the urban furniture, which is intended to provide comfort, information and service to city dwellers. In fact, urban furniture is the set of utilitarian, decorative and commercial elements placed in public spaces (table 2). These elements guide, inform, orientate and also attract and slow down the users of the public space in their wandering and movement.

<table><caption>Table 2. Typology of Street Furniture</caption><thead><tr><td>Dominant service</td><td>Street furniture required</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Bus stops</td><td>Public lighting (roads), signage (advertising, information), shelters, lighting, litter garbage cans, clocks, telephone booths, mailboxes, benches, various distributors</td></tr><tr><td>Children's games</td><td>Lighting, signage, services (benches, wastebaskets, playground</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tr><td></td><td>equipment, shelters, fountains, clocks)</td></tr><tr><td>Group of houses</td><td>- Lighting (beaconing, mixed auto-pedestrian); parking (beaconing); visitors; residential entrances...<br/>- Signage (building number, street name, location map, business sign), clocks, artwork, signs,<br/>- Services (wastepaper baskets, benches, garbage collection, children's games, adult games),<br/>- Construction site fencing (temporary or permanent).</td></tr><tr><td>Pedestrian pathway</td><td>Lighting, fountains, markers, benches.</td></tr><tr><td>Public Square</td><td>- Signage (information, prevention, directional signage, artwork),<br/>- Services (benches, water hydrants, clocks, mailboxes, benches, telephone booths, toilets, kiosks, shelters, covered passages).</td></tr><tr><td>Public green space</td><td>- Lighting (signage, mixed pedestrian-cyclist),<br/>- Signage (information, directional signage, artwork),<br/>- Services (shelters, kiosks, wastepaper baskets, benches, mailboxes, telephone booths, clocks, fencing, toilets, drinking water).</td></tr><tr><td>Parking</td><td>Lighting, Signage (directional signage, audiovisual advertising, site challenges),<br/>- Devices (closures, controls, regulation, tolls, plantations),<br/>- Services (wastepaper baskets, telephone booths, mailboxes, various dispensers, gasoline dispensers, WC).</td></tr><tr><td>Roads</td><td>- Lighting, signage (information, prevention, signposting, advertising),<br/>- Services (horns, traffic lights, wastepaper baskets, gas stations, etc.)</td></tr></table>

Source: CNERIB, 2007.

This table shows that street furniture can fulfil several functions, such as pedestrian safety, comfort, embellishment, cleanliness or signage. Today, street furniture is inseparable from design. Because of its cross-disciplinary approach at the confluence of many disciplines, it naturally invests in the problems of development and contributes to the work of requalifying spaces through the quality of the landscape, the harmonisation of colours, the treatment of surfaces and coverings, the signage and the accompaniment of movements, while meeting the objectives of ergonomics and comfort of use.

Whether it is made of concrete, wood, metal or plastic, the design of the street furniture must be perfectly integrated into the environment. In addition, it must be judiciously positioned so as not to hinder pedestrian traffic or the movement of people with reduced mobility. It must be fixed, non-removable and non-displaceable (except by authorised persons) (CNERIB, 2007).
It is agreed that most of the housing estates in Annaba (El-Fakharine, El-Moukawama, 08 Mai 1945, Plaine-Ouest, etc.) have been equipped with waste paper baskets and skips in order to be part of this perspective of a sustainable city (Le Golf, Séchet, 2011), except that these devices are still poorly used by a population that is not very aware of respect for the environment. Knowing that waste management is one of the important areas in the interaction between human activities and the environment. It brings together several disciplines that are rarely united towards the same objective, that of sustainable environmental protection to improve the living conditions of populations (Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, 2005).

The landscape aspect of a district is enhanced and improved by the development of the road system, which includes all the structures reserved for traffic (vehicles, two-wheelers and pedestrians) as well as the parking areas. They are generally complemented by the creation of plazas and car parks.

It is clear that pavements are subject to various constraints which lead to deterioration and discomfort more or less quickly. Indeed, the wearing course in contact with the wheel is subject to certain actions. The repetition of these actions can cause damage that compromises safety and comfort. It is therefore advisable to use materials that ensure the right surface quality for this surface layer. The surface course must be perfectly smooth, draining with respect to surface water run-off, rough to provide satisfactory skid resistance, acoustically sound and free from sources of noise pollution, aesthetically pleasing in colour, shape and appearance, durable, suitable for repair and easy to maintain (Mebirouk, 2019).

The execution of the wearing course should be carried out outside of bad weather periods. In addition, it should be ensured that all networks and services passing under the road have been laid and that the trenches have been properly backfilled.

The materials used for the wearing course can also be used in the composition of the pavements. These are of natural origin (paving stones) or obtained by mixing with hydrocarbon (bitumen) or hydraulic (cement) binders. The choice of materials is made in such a way as to ensure that the roadway meets the technical qualities. However, this choice was not respected in the construction of the pavements observed in the collective complexes where imperfections were recorded, often referring to the means mobilised and the quality of the materials used. Indeed, the materials used for pavements and footpaths should be chosen for their mechanical and aesthetic characteristics. For its functionality, vehicular and pedestrian routes as a mode of travel should coexist in the public space, and thus connect different types of uses and users (Chikh Hacini, 2022).

## 6. Weaknesses in Management and Implementation

Currently, Algeria's objective is to achieve a city policy based on a decent living environment for the population by integrating the principles of sustainable development and urban governance. This is why the restructuring and renewal of the existing fabric have become the specificity of most Algerian cities through urban improvement programs.
Urban improvement operations were managed by the wilaya and its decentralised department: the DUAC. It is therefore a management excluding the rest of the local actors.

Sectoral programs have developed strategies to deal with local concerns using tools and mechanisms that allow deconcentrated actors to operate on incidental and unplanned situations upstream of the action. This centralised and sectoral decision-making process often results in conflicts between different stakeholders, which knowingly contribute to the failure of planned operations (Zahi, 2012, Mebirouk, 2019).

Referring to the results of this study and the research work carried out on the subject, we can confirm that the quality of execution of these operations is being questioned. We cite as examples: poorly constructed pavements, substandard pavements unsuited to the various uses, randomly selected vegetation, and insufficient street furniture. Furthermore, the shortcomings identified are related to technical, conceptual and managerial skills. The program in question requires that a global and serious study based on the reality of the terrain be carried out so that conformity with the plan for restructuring and modernising urban centres is respected. The result of an urban operation is closely linked to the choice of design offices, regular site monitoring and, above all, to the participation of the citizen in the respect of his city, especially since he has welcomed these operations with satisfaction, although his involvement is limited to general information. We are therefore faced with a participatory process at the third hierarchical level of Arnstein's participation scale, that of information practices. Informing citizens of their rights, responsibilities and options may be the most important first step towards legitimate citizen participation. However, too often the focus is on a one-way flow of information with no channel provided for feedback and no bargaining power (Arnstein, 1969: 219). Participation limited to this level remains inconsistent, and thus does not ensure change of the status quo (Mebirouk, Mebirouk, 2022).

## 7. Conclusion

At the end of this research, we can conclude that urban requalification is an action that is part of urban renewal, which aims to rebuild the city on itself and is part of a key issue of sustainable urban development. It is also the action by which the accompanying spaces of a district are revitalised by recovering their capacity to fulfil their urban functions, allowing the revitalisation of the district and its integration into the city.

Consequently, urban requalification seeks to improve social living conditions, protect the environment and develop the local economy. In doing so, this action requires strategic planning and the use of mechanisms and techniques adapted to the site and the aspirations of the inhabitants. It also ensures urban cohesion through social, economic and environmental balance and promotes a better reappropriation of built and unbuilt spaces.

In Annaba, the requalification of collective housing areas has taken shape through urban improvement programs. These have identified a series of urgent actions favouring a compromise between needs, objectives and available means according to a schedule
ranging from the short to the long term. As all the ZHUNs have been completed, the
actions included in the short term: safety, sanitary comfort, urban hygiene, development
of common spaces, creation of relaxation areas, etc., seem to have succeeded in
rehabilitating the image of the districts.

The urban improvement plan has contributed to the evolution of the living
environment of collective housing estates, nevertheless, the quality of execution of the
operations is not very acceptable: the finished product is standard. The operations are
identical in the different districts of the ZHUNs and are limited to purely technical
solutions: servicing, paving, street furniture, etc. The failure of the operation is also
linked to the absence of specialised companies and partners who respect the
specifications of this policy. It is important to mobilise skills in three dimensions: urban,
architectural and environmental.

For its success, the intervention strategy should be defined in time, have a well-
defined life cycle and well-defined objectives. The result of an urban operation depends
on the chosen project management and design office, on a rigorous follow-up of the
construction site and especially on the participation of the citizen. This can be carried out
at different levels (from information to co-decision) and with different objectives and
results. While the different levels of the scale each have their usefulness and strengths,
they also have their limitations and weaknesses.

Acknowledgments

These should be brief and placed at the end of the text before the references.

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