TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE LUXURY: MUSCAT HIGHLINE Qurum Heights Road, Muscat, Oman.
Research Pro ject Entr y fo r RIBA d3 Festival Dec 2 019 - Feb 2 02 0
The
discovery and exploitation of oil and gas five decades ago has been the driving force of rapid urbanisation and development of Muscat, as well as its transformation to a car-centric culture. Here highways act as a physical barrier that restricts pedestrian access and movement between two areas, forcing residents to rely more on private automobile dependency as there is limited variety of public transport. Moreover, limited availability of public spaces in Muscat, most of which are present in old parts of the city and lack in more recent developments, makes walkability and livable spaces a luxury rather than a necessity. This project proposes Muscat Highline, a (social) infrastructure comprising footbridges along Sultan Qaboos Highway stretching from Children’s Museum and Qurum Park to the Cave, with the aim of enhancing quality of life. It offers not only ease of accessibility between areas segregated by the highway but also collective public spaces for people for socialising, recreation, communal activities and hosting cultural and community events, hence contributing to the environmental and social sustainability. In addition to this infrastructure is the Museum of Omani Renaissance which celebrates Oman’s multiculturalism, the legacy of the late Sultan as well as the remarkable transformation of Oman within the last half century from a conflict-struck barren deserts and mountains to a modern, neutral and more economically-developed state under his leadership.
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