New City in Sohar
Our master plan for a new city centre, designed to support widespread future economic and population growth and elevate Sohar, Oman, into an international gateway, will transform former degraded agricultural land with over 20,000 new homes and a network of nature corridors.
The New City in Sohar master plan, covering over 700 hectares, is designed to embrace the region’s ongoing transformation. Centred around two large district parks that offer expansive view corridors to the existing Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, the new city will provide 30 per cent open green space.
Our master plan aims to attract international business and innovation to establish Sohar’s place as a ‘new front door’ to the world. It capitalises on the economic growth from the free port and increased interconnectivity via a new commuter railway link and a passenger railway terminus linking Sohar to Muscat in the south.
The proposed city will include 520,000 sqm of office space, schools, mosques, hospitals, and numerous arts and education opportunities spanning a new opera house, museums and a library.
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“To increase micro-mobility in residential areas, Hassell has applied the ‘five-minute city’ principle to establish and grow a network of connected communities anchored around amenity clusters, each within a five-minute walk of where residents live and work.”
─ Ashley Munday, Principal and Head of Design
The New City in Sohar master plan supports flourishing neighbourhoods and improves convenience for local businesses, eliminating the need to drive shorter journeys, even in extreme temperatures. It’s anchored around neighbourhood centres featuring community services, shops, and restaurants, all accessible on foot, and deliberately unprogrammed spaces that sow the seeds for neighbourhoods to develop their character over time.
A car-free network of ‘nature corridors’ running from north to south and east to west will transform the walkability of the city centre, creating super-highways that prioritise pedestrians and cyclists.
Green infrastructure will generate habitat for local wildlife and biodiversity, funnelling cool breezes and absorbing heat in summer. The network of corridors, avenues, public gardens and squares will act as a secondary air circulation system while forming social spaces for community living and providing panoramic views of coastal and mountain regions.
The master plan for the New City in Sohar combines traditional values with contemporary lifestyle choices. It is designed to meet the needs of residents, visitors, and tourists in a sustainable manner, taking into account changing climates, natural resources, and socio-economic factors.
Construction is planned in phases over the next two decades, with the earliest completion date being 2040.
