MUSCAT: Muscat has joined the Global Business Districts Innovation Club in a move that officials say could give the Omani capital access to the global knowledge, planning models and innovation tools behind some of the world’s leading business districts.
According to Jamal al Hadi, Media Adviser to the Minister of Housing and Urban Planning, Muscat became the first city in the Middle East to enter the network after the Greater Muscat Structure Plan and the Al Khuwair Downtown project were admitted as the club’s 15th member worldwide.
In remarks posted on LinkedIn, Al Hadi said the agreement was signed during MIPIM 2026 in Cannes, France, one of the world’s leading real estate investment events.
He said Muscat now joins a network that includes internationally recognised districts such as Paris La Défense, Chicago Loop Alliance, Toronto Waterfront and Beijing CBD.
Al Hadi said the value of the step lies not only in international recognition, but also in what the membership could bring in practical terms.
He said joining the network would support knowledge and technology transfer, including access to global data, innovation frameworks and urban development models used by established business centres.
That could strengthen Muscat’s planning capacity as the capital seeks to improve its appeal as a destination for investment, enterprise and higher-value business activity.
The development also adds momentum to the Al Khuwair Downtown project, a key component of the wider structure plan for Greater Muscat.
Al Hadi said the project stands to benefit from stronger international positioning and exposure to global expertise as Oman works to shape a modern mixed-use urban district.
The move suggests Muscat is looking beyond project promotion alone and towards the wider systems that make business districts competitive over time, including planning quality, place-making, innovation and effective district management.
Al Hadi linked the development to the goals of Oman Vision 2040, particularly efforts to support economic diversification, raise urban competitiveness and create quality employment opportunities.
The club is currently chaired by Beijing CBD, which he described as one of the world’s leading business districts.
For Muscat, the announcement points to a broader ambition: to align the capital not only with global investors, but also with the standards and ideas shaping the future of successful urban business centres.
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