Located at the outskirts of the city of Annaba, Draa Errich is part of a ring of coastal new towns launched by the Algerian government in 2010. The new town is located adjacent to Algeria’s most congested thoroughfare—the 1,26km long East-West highway. This new vehicular corridor, mostly completed as of 2016, crosses through the most urbanized region of the country, stretching from Morocco in the west, to Tunisia in the east. Draa Errich also sits along recently renovated railway line that links Algiers with Tunis. Presently in its early stages, the new town has been planned to offer relief from the housing shortage in Annaba. The project is expected to include 50,000 units of housing, accommodating a population of approximately 200,000 residents. Half of the proposed housing units will be privately developed, while the other half will be constructed by government corporations. These publicly built units will be administrated by Algeria’s state housing agencies—OPGI, AADL and ENPI. The project is expected to take 20-25 years to reach completion.
