Sasaki Designs Masterplan for New Salalah City and Waterfront in Oman
Sasaki has been selected by Oman’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning to create a visionary masterplan for the waterfront of Salalah, the country’s second-largest city and a major logistical port and tourist destination. As part of the Greater Salalah Structural Plan, New City Salalah will become a more robust and resilient urban environment to support the continued development of Salalah and bolster the city’s tourism industry.
The plan incorporates residential, commercial, and cultural development, as well as transportation services and parks. Over 12,000 residential units will be built across four distinct, walkable neighborhoods, providing housing for an estimated 60,000 residents. One of the highlights of the plan is a new public beach that will stretch 6 kilometers across the waterfront, where residents and tourists alike can indulge in Salalah’s natural beauty and temperate climate year-round.
Climate resilience strategies will also figure heavily into New City Salalah. A new wetland park, as well as a series of revetments and natural infrastructure strategies will strengthen the coastline and mitigate the impacts of rising sea levels, especially during the Khareef monsoon season in the region.
“Salalah is blessed with incredible natural features and a deep history,” said Romil Sheth, Principal Designer at Sasaki. “Lush wadis, local agriculture embedded into the city, an extensive coastline with sandy beaches. To complement these significant assets, the Salalah New City plan adopts forward-looking urban design, place-making and planning practices that challenge status-quo urbanism and reflect an aspirational lifestyle for Dhofaris. The plan will serve as Oman’s living laboratory for urban innovation and a model for sustainable urbanism in the broader region.”
Sasaki’s project is a key element of Oman Vision 2040, a strategic plan aimed to build a more diversified and sustainable national economy while protecting the nation’s natural resources. Sasaki’s work in Salalah will be instrumental in building growth towards the Sultanate’s plans for expanding the tourism sector to comprise 10% of the GDP by 2040. Phase one of the project is slated to begin later this year.
Learn More About Sasaki
Sasaki has been a leader in the design industry for 70 years. The firm is known for blending disciplines, engaging with clients and communities, drawing on history and context, and using data and emerging technologies to shape the built environment. With offices in Boston, Denver, New York, Shanghai, and Los Angeles, Sasaki’s 300 professionals partner with education, civic, institutional, and commercial clients around the world. Sasaki’s integrated services span architecture, interior design, planning and urban design, space planning, landscape architecture, and civil engineering.
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Eric Baldwin, Director of Communications