The “Sultan Haitham City” constitutes a futuristic urban icon, a treasure for the future and a sustainable gift from His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to future generations and all segments of society.
Sultan Haitham City emerges as the fruitful outcome of the comprehensive transformation approach espoused by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning. It envisages transition to sustainable urban development that benefits thriving communities through the implementation of national strategic projects in line with Oman Vision 2040.
Sultan Haitham City represents the cornerstone of upcoming projects and a new model for building sustainable cities. It reflects modern life and epitomises the aspirations of young people in Oman.
The city, which occupies an area of 14.8 million square metres, has been planned to reflect sound and sustainable urban planning, including 2.9 million square metres of green spaces. It is designed to house 100,000 people and provide 20,000 housing units ranging between separate villas, semi-attached villas, townhouses and flats.
The housing units are distributed over 19 integrated residential neighbourhoods, supplied with various facilities and services to meet residents’ needs. It will have 23 mosques in addition to a grand mosque.
The city will also include 11 health facilities, including two health centres that cater to 20,000 patients and another set of six health centres with a capacity to serve 10,000 patients.
The city will host a referral hospital with a capacity of 1,200 beds, a private hospital and a centre to serve persons with disabilities and elderly people.
The city will have 39 government and private schools, covering all educational levels.
The new city translates 12 international criteria of luxury and welfare — ranging from affordable cost, integrated utilities and sustainable systems — all of which played a role in drafting the city’s masterplan.
The city will feature an internal transport network whose distances are carefully calculated to provide access to the largest possible number of facilities. The network will be suitable for public and private transport vehicles that will smoothly traverse the roads from the centre to the periphery.
Meanwhile, the city will incorporate green spaces, shaded corridors and lanes that allow the flow of gentle breezes and give an added sense of comfort.
It will also include pedestrian walkways and bicycle paths to diversify means of transport, promote healthy lifestyles and support environmental sustainability. These features include renewable energy options and water conservation measures. The city’s overall design enhances interaction and communication among various segments of society through common spaces and neighbourhood layouts.
The design of the city’s residential quarters also provide privacy a range of options that combine high and low densities to accommodate all income groups.
The city’s designs also respond to climatic changes and cater to future developments, with its engineering infrastructure tailored to adapt to the needs of population growth and the cost of maintenance.
The city welcomes all segments of society, with their diverse social and cultural backgrounds. It allows all segments easily access to its social and recreational facilities, thereby consolidating the bonds of belonging and cultural diversity.
In Sultan Haitham City, community facilities occupy strategic locations that have been carefully selected to allow residents to access them with complete ease. The strategy allows residents to jointly use public facilities, such as parking lots, playgrounds and parks, and contributes to achieving optimal use of spaces and amenities in the heart of metropolis.
The designs of the city's external areas are inspired by the natural surroundings, with options for utilizing the natural shade of trees during the daytime—which will be much in harmony with the urban structures. The overall idea is to provide natural outdoor spaces in the vicinity of buildings and well-designed streets.
The city has also been designed to raise the quality of life by optimizing the use of solar energy as a sustainable source. In this setup, waste energy production systems and wastewater outputs will act as key factors in the protection of natural resources. The outcome will be the control of waste and the recycling of materials.
With its fascinating and captivating designs, the city promises transition into a future of happiness and prosperity. Yet, its concepts will never miss out on the country’s heritage. While it builds a vision for the future of generations that celebrate modern life, it will also build solid grounds for harmony among cultural groups.
Source: Oman News Agency