Urban Oman Exhibition Panel 2 - Introduction Dynamic of Growth

Abstract

Dynamic of growth Rapid economic development and population growth Before the discovery of oil and gas in Oman (end of 1960s) the country relied on fishery, agriculture, animal husbandry, handicraft, and trade. Oman was a rural society, socially organized in tribes and family clans, living in villages and hamlets, mostly oasis settlements. After 1970, when Sultan Qaboos bin Said took power, the percentage of urban dwellers increased from 47.6 percent in 1980 to 72.8 percent in 2010. Population projections show that this percentage will continue to increase to reach 82.9 percent in 2050. In 2011 73,44 % of total population are considered to be urban and 26,56 % rural. The 2010 census revealed that 53.3 % of the total population (2,773,479 million) lives in the two governorates of Muscat and Al Batinah (south and north), both covering only an area of 16,400 sq.kms. (12,500 sq.kms. Batinah and 3,900 sq.kms. Muscat) Unbalanced population density The country’s average population density of 9 p/sq km (2010) doesn’t reflect the real situation, as the population is concentrated mainly in the coastal strip. According to the Statistical Bulletin from June 2013 (NCSI, National Centre for Statistics and Information, Oman) the total population registered in May 2013 was already 3.876,383 million, compared to 3.623,001 in mid year 2012. Focusing on Muscat Governorate the average population density increased to 257,4 inhabitants per sq. km in 2011. Migration plays a vital role in the country. There is rural to urban internal migration but as well international migration, mostly towards MCA. In Muscat Governorate expatriates have outnumbered the Omani population in May 2013. Out of the 1,162,966 registered inhabitants 712,638 are expatriates and 450,328 are Omani. Maps: MCA in 1970, 1982, 2012 Muscat as part of an urban corridor In the beginning oft he 21st century Oman contributes to a highly and densely urbanized coastal strip along the Arabian Sea, starting at Muscat and following the coast line until Sohar, Hatta where urbanization finally merges with the agglomeration of Fujeirah and continuing along the Gulf to the United Arab Emirates and beyond. In order to understand the processes leading to this extended urban corridor the research analyzed local case-study featuring dynamic urban growth. In April 2010 a number of new residential areas had been prepared for realizing new homes. During the short period of our survey a highly dynamic process has been observed within Muscat Capital Areas. Map: Satellite image at night of Gulf and Oman