Assessing the role of territorial governance in the success of territory projects: A case study of the Fez craft industry

Territorial governance has become omnipresent in all economic, political or social discourses, it is a question of implementing dynamic processes of coordination, pooling efforts, shared visions of different actors of a territory and diverse resources (cognitive, material and immaterial, symbolic, financial, etc.) [1,2], with the abolition of the decision-making monopoly of the State [3]. It relies on the involvement of different territorial actors in the construction of territorial policies in order to better align with the territorial project [4,5]. In this context, the mechanisms of coordination, co-construction and co-decision become necessary for the realization of collective projects of the territory, and the reduction of interregional disparities. However, in Morocco, the main territorial actors, in particular the territorial collectivises and the external services of the ministries, still preserve the classic hierarchical character of their organization, this hinders the successful implementation of these mechanisms around territorial projects. This paper highlights the role of territorial governance in the success of territorial projects by taking the example of the crafts of Fez. To this end, we will first present the state of the art of territorial governance by analysing all the underlying theories. Then, we focus on its contribution to the success of the project of valorisation of the artisanal resource of Fez in particular and the development of this territory in general. To do this, we opt for an exploratory approach through a qualitative study, via semi-structured interviews with territorial actors involved in the implementation of the territorial craft project on the city of Fez. Keywords: Territorial governance, resources, territory project, craft industry.