Self-sustaining vernacular habitats: The case study of Medina of Chefchaouen

The main feature of vernacular communities is “collective living”. Individuals collaborate together to deal with the challenges of everyday life and to resolve common problems such as the need for shelter and the production of food. With integrated agriculture systems, collectiveness, and their close relation with nature, vernacular settlements demonstrate numerous self-sufficient amenities. Productive activities are mainly achieved at collective and individual levels. In this case, dwellings, as the smallest units of the collective production chain, have a relevant role, while the complex production sectors gain opportunities of sharing specialized plants for production. Prevention of negative effects of human-initiated climate change makes self-sustaining urban systems more important each day. Therefore, the concept of producing and consuming locally is becoming more vital. Thus, this paper aims to analyze the self-sustaining strategies of vernacular communities through the case study of Chefchaouen and investigates the contributions of the sustainable vernacular strategies in contemporary urban systems.