With the rise of cities like Dubai and Doha, impressive skylines and iconic architecture have become synonyms for urban development in the Gulf Region. Muscat, the capital city of Oman, chose to follow a different path. Despite the fact that its economic ‘renaissance’ since the 1970s is also based on money generated by fossil fuels, urban planning was guided by social welfare ideals. A land allocation system grants every Omani citizen, female and male alike, a plot of land.
In parallel to demographic growth, the Sultanate faced rapid urbanisation. Over the last 50 years the metropolitan area has grown to an extended urban region of over 100km in length. The former coastal town and mountain oasis have amalgamated into a vast desert sprawl threatening agricultural land and fragile ecosystems. Even though Oman is taking a different path than the countries surrounding it, it has yet to become a model of sustainable spatial development.