Urban Design and Transport Planning for Physical Activity, Health, and Well-Being: Do Cities in Oman Meet Evidence-Informed Policy Standards?

Background: The Sultanate of Oman is among the most urbanized countries globally with high prevalences of obesity and physical inactivity. We aimed to examine the extent to which urban and transport policies in Oman support the creation of healthy, active living cities in the country.

Methods: Using the 1000 Cities Challenge urban policy checklist, the research team conducted content analysis of available policy and regulatory documents for Barka, Nizwa, and Muscat across 6 domains: integrated city planning policies, walkability and destination access, public transport access, public open space access, urban air quality and nature-based solutions, and climate disaster risk reduction.

Results: Oman's urban policy frameworks included relevant content for 24 out of 32 policy indicators of healthy, active cities. The emphasis on integrated and collaborative approaches across sectors aligned well with global recommendations. Critical policy gaps were in the walkability and destination access domain. Only a few policies included measurable targets, and some policies were inconsistent with international evidence.

Conclusions: Findings demonstrate political commitment to active, sustainable cities, but greater efforts are needed to close policy gaps, revise policies contrary to evidence, and include evidence-informed standards and targets. As the government develops additional national and local guidelines and standards, policy makers should consider including new and/or more ambitious measurable policy targets. Addressing the identified policy gaps would facilitate creation of walkable urban environments, which could significantly improve Oman's likelihood of achieving the national target of a 15% reduction in the prevalence of insufficient physical activity by 2030.