25 March 2014
MUSCAT - The Conference entitled "Challenges of Urbanization in Arab Gulf Countries" continued at the German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech) on Monday with a number of presentations dealing with urbanization and sustainability in Oman. The three-day conference also presents and discusses the outcomes of a three years interdisciplinary research project on Sustainable Urbanization patterns in Oman, carried out by professors from SQU and GUtech, with financial support of The Research Council (TRC).
Urban growth in the capital Muscat has passed through a history of political and socio-economic changes, which have affected the entire urban pattern at every period of time. "The urban management that has emerged since the early seventies has created imbalanced attitudes between the availability of natural resources and the rate of consumption," said Dr. Hamad Al Gharibi, head of the Urban Planning Department of the Directorate of Housing in Buraimi during his presentation entitled "From pre-oil to post-oil urbanization in Muscat". As a consequence the increase in population in Muscat has contributed to the depletion of available natural resources. Since Muscat is the administrative and economic center of Oman, the city also receives the largest amount of foreign migrants from abroad and job seekers from the interior of Oman. However, the horizontal and low density development limited the residential spaces to house the increasing influx of immigrants. In addition, due to the increase in traffic, many parts in Muscat have been asphalted with car utilities.
Due to limited job opportunities, people from the interior of the Sultanate are seeking better infrastructure, goods and products and thus transforming the socio-economic structure of oasis settlements like Fanja.
During a presentation on "Urbanization and rural to urban transformation - a new rural-urban interface in Oman", Sara Abdelaal, research assistant of the research project on 'Sustainable urbanization patterns in Oman" and a graduate of the University of Technology in Berlin (Germany) explained that most of the inhabitants of the oasis of Fanja work in Muscat and therefore many houses in Fanja were built along the highway. Thus Fanja developed to a highly car dependent town, consuming a large amount of fossil fuels.
"In the past the rural community used their local resources to meet their demands and the date plantation was the main source of income. For example the palm tree was used for food for the lifestock, for making baskets, building material and for cooking food," said Abdelaal. Today the local demand is competing with imported goods. Therefore, Abdelaal stressed that her recommendations are in addition to analyzing the economic, social, cultural and environmental potentials of Fanja "a new vision combining the urban and the rural parts of Oman with new administrative units, that act as interfaces between the urban the rural area is required."
MUSCAT - The Conference entitled "Challenges of Urbanization in Arab Gulf Countries" continued at the German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech) on Monday with a number of presentations dealing with urbanization and sustainability in Oman. The three-day conference also presents and discusses the outcomes of a three years interdisciplinary research project on Sustainable Urbanization patterns in Oman, carried out by professors from SQU and GUtech, with financial support of The Research Council (TRC).
Urban growth in the capital Muscat has passed through a history of political and socio-economic changes, which have affected the entire urban pattern at every period of time. "The urban management that has emerged since the early seventies has created imbalanced attitudes between the availability of natural resources and the rate of consumption," said Dr. Hamad Al Gharibi, head of the Urban Planning Department of the Directorate of Housing in Buraimi during his presentation entitled "From pre-oil to post-oil urbanization in Muscat". As a consequence the increase in population in Muscat has contributed to the depletion of available natural resources. Since Muscat is the administrative and economic center of Oman, the city also receives the largest amount of foreign migrants from abroad and job seekers from the interior of Oman. However, the horizontal and low density development limited the residential spaces to house the increasing influx of immigrants. In addition, due to the increase in traffic, many parts in Muscat have been asphalted with car utilities.
Due to limited job opportunities, people from the interior of the Sultanate are seeking better infrastructure, goods and products and thus transforming the socio-economic structure of oasis settlements like Fanja.
During a presentation on "Urbanization and rural to urban transformation - a new rural-urban interface in Oman", Sara Abdelaal, research assistant of the research project on 'Sustainable urbanization patterns in Oman" and a graduate of the University of Technology in Berlin (Germany) explained that most of the inhabitants of the oasis of Fanja work in Muscat and therefore many houses in Fanja were built along the highway. Thus Fanja developed to a highly car dependent town, consuming a large amount of fossil fuels.
"In the past the rural community used their local resources to meet their demands and the date plantation was the main source of income. For example the palm tree was used for food for the lifestock, for making baskets, building material and for cooking food," said Abdelaal. Today the local demand is competing with imported goods. Therefore, Abdelaal stressed that her recommendations are in addition to analyzing the economic, social, cultural and environmental potentials of Fanja "a new vision combining the urban and the rural parts of Oman with new administrative units, that act as interfaces between the urban the rural area is required."
© The Saudi Gazette 2014
