Casablanca: The slum of Sidi Moumen, one of dozens around Casablanca where a third of the country's worst urban housing lies, is expected to disappear soon.

All this is part of Morocco's "Towns Without Slums" program, one of the most ambitious worldwide to eradicate urban shanties.

Some 1.5 million Moroccans were living in such homes until recently, hidden behind concrete walls as the North African kingdom displayed its brighter sides to tourists and businessmen.

"Slums are a problem all over the developing world," said Fatna Chihab, the head of social housing at the Ministry for Habitat and Urban Planning. "Morocco's originality is that his majesty decided to tackle the issue head-on."

About 43 percent of the nearly 300,000 families tallied as living in urban shanties have been rehoused, said Chihab, who heads the relocation program.

The $3 billion ($2.27 billion) project is financed nearly half by the Moroccan state, which is far more cash-strapped than other Arab countries with large oil reserves.