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

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  • Wolfgang Scholz

    (Department of Spatial Planning, IRPUD, TU Dortmund University, 44221 Dortmund, Germany
    Department of Urban Planning and Architectural Design, German University of Technology (GUtech), Athaibah PC 130, Muscat P.O. Box 1816, Oman)

Abstract

The Sultanate of Oman has been undergoing massive changes in the last 50 years. The Gulf State transformed from a very traditional and isolated country into a wealthy and modern state. After Sultan Said was enthroned in 1970, the young Sultan Qaboos, who passed away in 2020, began to modernise Oman’s economy and society. Today, widespread, single-family houses are the prevailing residential building type, with an urban sprawl characterised by mono-functional zoning and a dependency on motorized individual transport with long commuting distances. All these conditions have been strongly supported by governmental planning policies. Since this urban sprawl causes unsustainable land consumption, this study addresses options for urban development and housing typologies aiming at a compact city with a higher density. However, the term density has to reflect local cultural and climatic conditions and, in time of the pandemic as special focus of this issue, has to be critically discussed and reviewed. Thus, this study identifies, as a base line study in Muscat Capital Area, Omani residents’ housing needs by an online questionnaire survey focusing on housing layouts, features and locational preferences, exploring alternatives to the current situation. Findings are that housing needs do not necessarily demand a single-family building but can be achieved better by different housing layouts, at the same time supporting social distances measures via outdoor options during the pandemic.

Suggested Citation

  • Wolfgang Scholz, 2021. "Appropriate Housing Typologies, Effective Land Management and the Question of Density in Muscat, Oman," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-27, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:22:p:12751-:d:681895
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Shlomo Angel & Patrick Lamson-Hall & Alejandro Blei & Sharad Shingade & Suman Kumar, 2021. "Densify and Expand: A Global Analysis of Recent Urban Growth," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-28, March.
    2. Bernhard Heim & Marc Joosten & Aurel von Richthofen & Florian Rupp, 2018. "On the Process and Economics of Land Settlement in Oman: Mathematical Modeling and Reasoning in Urban Planning and Design," Homo Oeconomicus: Journal of Behavioral and Institutional Economics, Springer, vol. 35(1), pages 1-30, June.
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