Casablanca... In 2005

Now a sprawling metropolis of about four million people, Casablanca retains in its center both the original citadel and the art deco buildings constructed by the colonists. But it is also Morocco's biggest city and an African economic center whose traffic-clogged streets attract immigrants from across the continent seeking a better life. This usually means sneaking into Europe.

...Until last year, for example, Casablanca's mass-transit system consisted of fewer than 40 working municipal buses. There is no metro.

The resulting transportation crunch prompted the development of a cooperative taxi culture in which passengers pile into a cab that carries them to separate destinations, using a meter that can calculate up to three separate fares at a time.

Such short-term fixes may help people get around, but a failure to address the underlying problems of Casablanca has national and international consequences, according to Ahmed Bencheikh, a former professor of urban planning who is working with the United Nations Development Project on urban planning and poverty issues."