Mechanisms of Development of Gray Areas in the City - Field Study in the Teleghma Region

Gray areas in cities, or what are known in urban studies as marginal areas, are an urban problem that have attracted the attention of researchers and scholars from various social science disciplines. which suffer from many problems despite their proximity to cities and large urban agglomerations.
Peripheral areas of cities suffer from poor urban services and lack of public amenities, and what applies to them applies to the description that applies to underdeveloped urban societies or what the sociological literature calls urban slums. And which is a manifestation of the ecological change linked to the phenomenon of rapid urbanization that societies have experienced.
The “culture of poverty” in marginal urban areas can play an important role in the life of these societies, because of the contribution of this culture; Especially in the city, there are profound influences on the structure of the marginal urban community, where these marginal urban areas embody particular patterns of culture and urban characteristics, which are characterized by their own character in their outlook on life, of themselves and to others. Compared to other urban areas of the city, this is in addition to the social and cultural characteristics of the inhabitants of these communities, and the impact of these characteristics on the social construction of marginal areas.
The historical context reveals that the rural exodus towards the city and the concentration of the population on the outskirts of large cities have led to the formation of marginal areas, within which the inhabitants suffer from difficult social conditions in terms of education, housing, employment and health services. called "grey areas" in the politico-administrative discourse. These are isolated areas that lack the minimum conditions of urban life, such as the absence of connection of these areas to the main urban networks (gas, electricity, water and sewage), in addition to the absence of lighting. public and the lack of sports and health facilities and educational establishments.
The gray areas, in the politico-administrative concept, can be considered as marginalized areas, and these areas do not benefit from planning and development policies as at the level of cities and urban centers. areas located in the countryside and mountainous areas are neglected.
Shadow areas are pockets of poverty located on the fringes of large urban centers, and they appeared for the first time in the Algerian city with the security crisis of the 90s of the last century, this crisis which pushed the rural population to a massive displacement to the outskirts of the cities in search of safety and work, and its inhabitants remained suffering from poverty and unemployment, and had seen no development for decades.
The public administration has recently started a process of identifying gray areas, identifying the development programs needed to improve the living conditions of the inhabitants of these areas and encouraging them to settle there and participate in their development. This action aimed to achieve comprehensive and balanced economic development in all regions of the country, in order to reduce regional disparities and the marginalization of certain regions.
The research field of this study will be located in one of the medium-sized cities of the department of Mila, which is the city of Teleghma, which has historical, geographical and human assets. Which has formed from the city a point of intersection for various movements of population, which has had an impact on its urban field and its economic activity, which in many cases does not correspond to the capacities and qualifications available. marginal areas, whose inhabitants suffer from difficult complex social conditions in terms of education, housing, employment and health services. These areas are what we understand in our current study as "shadow areas ", and from there, we decided to ask the following questions:
- what are the mechanisms and procedures adopted in the preparation and implementation of development projects in gray areas by the municipality and the supervisory authorities of the city ?
- This raises a number of questions, including : - What are the factors that have led to the emergence of marginal urban areas (shadow areas) in the city?
What are the social and cultural characteristics of the inhabitants of the marginal urban areas of the city of Teleghma?
- What is the nature of the development projects that have affected the marginal areas (shadow areas) in the city of Teleghma?
- What are the social and economic impacts of development projects on the inhabitants of marginal urban areas of the city of Teleghma?
Therefore, this research came to achieve a number of objectives, the most important of which are:
1. Identify the nature of the problems in the gray areas of the city of Teleghma.
2. Identify the mechanisms and procedures for drawing up plans and programs for development projects in gray areas by the municipality and the supervisory authorities of the city of Teleghma.
3. The role of citizen participation in the preparation and implementation of plans.
4. propose a number of suggestions and recommendations in the light of the field study.