UPFI Sfax Taparura Project

©Sfax Taparura Project
Sfax Taparura was one of the 12 urban development projects selected during the Project Identification Phase of the Urban Projects Finance Initiative (UPFI), launched during the Senior Officials’ Meeting held in Barcelona on 7-8 April 2014. The Project received the UfM label on 4 December of the same year.

Sfax is a city on the Mediterranean coastline. It is the second biggest city in Tunisia and the most important industrial and commercial centre in the south of the country. As a result of its phosphate industry, it has suffered a significant amount of pollution which has, in turn, hampered its development.

The Taparura project is divided into two phases. The first, namely the completion of the clean-up work and the restoration of Sfax’s northern coastline, has already been completed, leading to the second phase of the project. This phase will initiate the modernisation of the area and the development of a new urban centre with basic facilities and infrastructure, so as to integrate it with the rest of the city of Sfax. It will include the construction of new housing, hotels, recreational areas, commercial activities and services, green spaces and public facilities, enabling it to receive about 50,000 residents and create new employment opportunities upon completion of the project (anticipated at the end of a ten-year period). Finally, the Project aims to establish a harmony between the natural environment and economic development by providing a sustainable development dynamic that enhances the area’s economic attractiveness. The Technical Assistance phase for the preparation of the project was launched in June 2015 and will be concluded in 2016, after which time the implementation phase will begin.

The highlights of the Project include the following:

• Decentralises cooperation in the metropolitan area (mainly through the participation of international partners, such as MedCities, on behalf of the cities of Barcelona and Marseille).
• Provides technical assistance designed to strengthen the institutional framework.
• Sets an example for Mediterranean coastal cities wishing to undertake major projects to reclaim, clean-up and restore their seafronts.
• Meets the UfM’s mandate by ensuring sustainable and socioeconomic development within the framework of an integrated approach to urban planning.
• Aims to achieve an outstanding approach to public-private partnerships.
• Integrates sustainability into the project right from the urban and architectural design phase, which seeks to link the environmental and urban aspects (eco-buildings).
• Covers a large urban area for restoration and infrastructural improvements, offering an integrated and multidimensional approach to urban planning.

About the promoter and partner institutions

With a total project cost of €403.2 million, the Taparura Project is being developed by national and local authorities. The Tunisian State (Ministry of Equipment) is the main contractor and the Société d’Etude et d’Aménagement des Côtes Nord de la Ville de Sfax (SEACNVS), created in 1985, is the second main contractor, with responsibity for the research and implementation of the Project.

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