Urban Development in Oman: An Overview

Abstract

During the past two decades, the Gulf countries have experienced the most rapid urban growth in the world. The traditional societies in this region have been guilelessly opened on the market economy and western lifestyle. In spite the progress realized at many levels, these societies became victims of its consumerist style. This article aims to present an overview of the urban development in Oman since it started its 'modernization'. This study is not only interested in how the country has been developing since its "renaissance" in the 1970s, but also how does this development appear, compared to its traits in the neighboring Gulf countries. Based on the assumption that urban research is a tool of analysis that can enlighten future decisions and actions in the domain of urban development, this study is also a critical review of the published research about the urbanization in Oman since the 1970s. This research showed that, although it shares several aspects with what the other Gulf cities have witnessed, urbanization in Oman was slower, less drastic and relatively more controlled. The scrutiny of the published research on this topic also revealed that the urban studies about Oman, and the GCC countries in general, were insignificant before the rise of leading cities such as Dubai, then Doha, to the international scene. It concluded that even if these urban studies have progressively broadened in their topics, disciplines and case studies, their effect on the new orientations chosen for the future developments in these countries remains negligible.

Land-allocation and clan-formation in modern residential developments in Oman

“…The article does not claim to present the land-allocation system in Oman as an unknown problem nor does it recommend solutions, but offers a new view onto it through agent-based modelling that allows, for the first time, to quantify emergent phenomena such as clan formation. The mathematical model validates previous research findings of the authors and other researchers in the field of urbanisation in Oman (compare Scholz 1990;Belgacem, 2011;Al Gharibi, 2014;Benkari 2017;Shouman 2017).…”

“…The rapid demographic development since the 1970s in Oman fuels a constant demand for housing. The particularities of this process are captured by Benkari (2017) who collects an overview of research and literature on urbanisation in Oman. The concentration of economic and political power in Muscat Capital Area further contributes to accelerated rates of urbanisation in this region of the Sultanate as studied by Nebel and von Richthofen (2016) in their four year research on 'Urbanisation in Oman-trends and perspectives' .…”

Appropriate Housing Typologies, Effective Land Management and the Question of Density in Muscat, Oman

“…Benkari [5] (p. 152) states that "this frenetic urbanization and avid consumption of natural resources make this model of urbanization an unsustainable option for the future of humanity".…”

“…In the MCA, the increase was from 350,000 to 1.3 million by 2020 [4]. The capital functions of MCA have created a growing pressure on the city and its region, where 29.1% of the total population of Oman live in 5.3% of the total area of the country [5] (p. 147).…”

Co-designing the pedestrian revolution in Muscat

“…Pre-1970s, Muscat and the rest of Oman's built environment took on a decentralized approach in spatial planning and governance, as most areas were controlled by a tribe that dictated what was necessary within their territories (Benkari 2017;von Richthofen 2015). Traditional Omani neighborhoods favored compact houses, a recognized shaded communal outdoor gathering space known as a Sablah, and clear public to private transitions in terms of housing space (Edwards et al 2006).…”