The second day of the “Urban October Conference and Home & Building Expo” at Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning saw the holding of the “Investment Forum in Governorate Development Competition Projects”. The event, held under the auspices of HH Sayyid Marwan Turki Al Said, Governor of Dhofar, identified six investment opportunities with a total investment value exceeding OMR82 million. The opportunities included projects in various governorates such as Al-Razaz Boulevard in Salalah, Ames Bay in Khasab, Rimal Park in Nakhal, and more. The conference also explored successful urban renovation projects in different governorates and civil initiatives in A’Dakhiliyah Governorate.
As part of the activities of the conference, the “Basamat Competition” was launched as a part of the Sultan Haitham City project. The contest aims to engage youth in finding “impacts” in various aspects to shape the vision of a city that caters to everyone. Additionally, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning launched an initiative called “Step Towards Owning Your Home” to develop integrated residential neighborhood projects. During the conference, 8 investment opportunities for such projects were launched, leading to the signing of 77 usufruct agreements and agreements to purchase about 200 housing units from integrated residential neighborhood projects.
To enhance youth engagement in urban development and inspire them to come up with innovative ideas, the 4th Urban Planning Hackathon was launched under the theme “City Challenge”. This hackathon aims to develop a video game that offers a cultural aspect for users to explore future cities in an entertaining way. The contest involves more than 100 young participants forming 19 teams from various specializations. Additionally, a “Minecraft challenge” was launched to set up landmarks from Sultan Haitham City on virtual reality, where contestants compete to recreate specified landmarks based on specific criteria.
Overall, the “Urban October Conference and Home & Building Expo” in Muscat provided a platform to explore investment opportunities in governorate development projects, engage youth in urban development initiatives, and inspire innovative ideas for future city planning. With the launch of the Basamat Competition, “Step Towards Owning Your Home” initiative, and Urban Planning Hackathon, the event focused on promoting sustainable urban development and fostering youth involvement in shaping the cities of tomorrow. The activities in the conference showcased successful urban renovation projects, civil initiatives, and investment opportunities in various governorates, highlighting the commitment to advancing urban planning and development in the region.
