Muscat – The Urban, Home & Building Expo and Conference and World Habitat Day 2026 commemoration concluded at the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre on Thursday, recording more than 60,000 visitors, over 230 agreements, memoranda of understanding and tender awards, and the graduation of 20 participants from the fourth cohort of the Rafid National Capacity-Building Programme for Smart Cities.

Held from October 5 to 8 as part of Urban October, the event brought together government entities, private-sector institutions, real estate developers, financial institutions and urban development specialists from more than 50 countries, providing a platform to advance investment, strengthen partnerships and exchange expertise on the future of housing and cities.

The expo featured more than 200 exhibition pavilions and over 65 real estate developers, while the accompanying conference hosted more than 90 speakers and presented over 100 working papers. Discussions addressed housing, integrated communities, urban planning, infrastructure, sustainability and the preservation of urban identity.

More than 230 agreements, memoranda of understanding and tender awards were signed across a range of sectors, including real estate, tourism, education, housing assistance and food security. The agreements reflected efforts to strengthen public-private collaboration, expand investment opportunities and support the development of residential and tourism projects.

The outcomes included 197 usufruct agreements: 85 in the food security sector, 30 through a partnership with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority, and 82 usufruct auction agreements through the Tatwir platform.

Partnerships involving real estate developers and financial institutions also focused on project development, financing solutions and facilitating homeownership, linking investment opportunities with the financial services required to support their implementation.

The final day focused on the future of housing and inclusive urban planning, with sessions examining the development of integrated, connected and liveable communities. Discussions also explored urban regeneration, infrastructure planning and the relationship between city development and cultural identity, including presentations on Bahrain’s experience and the evolution of Muscat governorate’s visual identity over four decades.

The closing programme also marked the graduation of 20 participants from the fourth cohort of Rafid, the National Capacity-Building Programme for Smart Cities. Delivered from April 5 to July 22 in partnership with more than ten organisations, the programme forms part of efforts to strengthen national expertise and institutional capacity in smart-city development.

The four-day event brought together investment, policy dialogue and professional capacity building, underscoring the importance of integrated planning and cross-sector partnerships in shaping sustainable, inclusive and liveable urban environments across the sultanate.