Construction & Real Estate
From The Report: Kuwait 2018
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Hundreds of thousands of construction workers in Kuwait are busy building bridges, roads, homes, the region’s largest refinery, an expanded airport terminal and a new port. These are just some of the major projects being completed as the country works towards the New Kuwait 2035 vision. However, these developments are almost entirely driven by government spending and components of the Kuwait National Development Plan 2015-20, which have been subject to delays and postponements in 2017 and 2018. Despite these setbacks, the remaining two years of the plan should see the completion of major infrastructure improvements that could serve as the catalyst for significant changes within Kuwait’s economic landscape.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Bold blueprints: Key infrastructure projects to break ground, laying the foundations for decades of future growth
OBG
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Hundreds of thousands of construction workers in Kuwait are busy building bridges, roads, homes, the region’s largest refinery, an expanded airport terminal and a new port. These are just some of the major projects being completed as the country works towards the New Kuwait 2035 vision. However, these developments are almost entirely driven by government spending and components of the Kuwait National Development Plan 2015-20, which have been subject to delays and postponements in 2017 and…

Overview

Sustainable urbanisation: As urban populations undergo rapid growth around the globe, planners are striving to create efficient spaces
OBG
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In 2008, for the first time in history, more than half of humanity was living in urban areas. Perhaps the most remarkable observation about this trend is the speed at which it has happened: as recently as 1900 urban areas accounted for 13% of the global population. Towns and cities are seen as the crucibles of opportunity for many rural dwellers. The UN estimates that by 2030 urban areas will host 60% of the world’s population – up from 54.5% in 2016 – with the pace of urban growth especially rapid across Africa and parts of Asia. Urban areas are home to more than 470m people in Africa, accounting for 40% of the continent’s population,…

Overview

Sustainable urbanisation: As urban populations undergo rapid growth around the globe, planners are striving to create efficient spaces
OBG
plus

In 2008, for the first time in history, more than half of humanity was living in urban areas. Perhaps the most remarkable observation about this trend is the speed at which it has happened: as recently as 1900 urban areas accounted for 13% of the global population. Towns and cities are seen as the crucibles of opportunity for many rural dwellers. The UN estimates that by 2030 urban areas will host 60% of the world’s population – up from 54.5% in 2016 – with the pace of urban growth especially rapid across Africa and parts of Asia. Urban areas are home to more than 470m people in Africa, accounting for 40% of the continent’s population,…

Overview

Home stretch: The drive towards building new communities stands to meet the growing backlog of homes for citizens
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Property development, sales and rentals play a significant role in Kuwait’s economy, and home ownership is set to grow as new cities are built to accommodate a growing population. Landlords in the office, retail and industrial sectors enjoy high occupancy levels and there has been extensive development of rented residential properties for the expatriate workers, who constitute almost 70% of the country’s 4.6m population. Private sector developers have opened new flagship hotels and shopping…

Analysis

Project developments: An increased budget for the sector will result in dozens of new developments by 2020
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The Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAWH), responsible for building towns, neighbourhoods and homes for Kuwaitis, is spending almost KD1bn ($3.3bn) per year on new developments, aiming to hand over 36,000 residential plots in 2017. Generous government-backed instalment loans are being extended to enable citizens to build homes on their plots. Local media reported PAHW’s budget would be increased from KD911.3m ($3.02bn) to KD916.6m ($3.04bn) in FY 2018/19 for work on 28 projects to…