The “Urban October Conference and Home & Building Expo” continued for its second day at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre. Organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning, the event saw the holding of the “Investment Forum in Governorate Development Competition Projects”. The activities were held under the auspices of HH Sayyid Marwan Turki Al Said, Governor of Dhofar. Participants reviewed investment opportunities generated by winning projects in the 1st and 2nd editions of the “Governorate Development Competition (2023-2024)” with a total investment value of over OMR82 million.
Six investment opportunities were identified, including projects such as the Al-Razaz Boulevard project in Salalah, the Ames Bay development project in Khasab, and the Rimal Park project in Khabat Al-Jaadan area. The conference also explored successful experiences in urban renovation projects in various governorates, as well as civil initiatives in A’Dakhiliyah Governorate. As part of the activities, the “Basamat Competition” was launched within Sultan Haitham City project, engaging youth in finding impacts in various fields to shape the vision of a city for all.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning also launched an initiative called “Step Towards Owning Your Home”, focusing on developing integrated residential neighborhood projects. At the conference, 8 investment opportunities for integrated residential plans and neighborhoods were launched. Furthermore, 77 usufruct agreements were signed for the development of over one million square meters, with agreements dealing with development projects in various governorates. The conference also saw agreements to purchase about 200 housing units from integrated residential neighborhood projects for social housing beneficiaries.
To enhance youth engagement in urban development, the 4th Urban Planning Hackathon was launched under the theme “City Challenge”. The hackathon aims to develop a video game that offers a cultural aspect allowing users to explore future cities in an engaging way. Over 100 young men and women from different specializations are participating in this contest. Additionally, a “Minecraft challenge” was launched to set up landmarks from Sultan Haitham City in virtual reality, with contestants competing to transfer landmarks onto virtual Minecraft spaces according to specific criteria.
