Details from the long-awaited new Urban Master Plan presented today propose that the Macau SAR be divided into clearly defined areas for residential, tourism, green leisure, industrial, diversified industries purposes, with habitation and public infrastructure developments having priority.
The 60-day public consultation for the new urban development guideline plan for the 2020-2040 period will be initiated on September 4, with local authorities presenting the plan during a media press conference held today (Thursday).
The urban development plan – considered essential for SAR’s urban planning – is an initiative in the pipeline for almost six years, with Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Limited contracted by local authorities to establish the plan.
The blueprint draft estimates that by 2040 the SARs local population will reach 808,000 and will have a total land area of 36.8 square kilometers.
This land area will have a clearly defined land percentage use for each of the different categories, with public infrastructure and residential purposes occupying the largest share of it, some 23 and 22 per cent, respectively.
The tourism and entertainment industries will have a 13 per cent share of land use divided in a Cotai, and NAPE/ZAPE area, with the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT) Urban Planning Director, Mak Tat Io, indicating that future casinos will have to be based in these zones.
The plan describes tourism and entertainment areas as being reserved for the construction of tourism service projects, food and beverage and leisure spaces necessary to the development of the city as a World Travel and Leisure Centre
“Casinos will be maintained in the tourism and entertainment areas, obviously we will some flexibility, but most will be in these areas,” Mak noted.
The area reserved for tourism and casinos will be lower than the 18 per cent provided for ecological conservation areas, but higher than the space reserved for green leisure areas (8 per cent), collective use infrastructures, such as hospitals (10 per cent), commercial areas (4 per cent) and industrial areas (2 per cent).
Overall the plan establishes the positioning of Macau’s urban development at national, regional and local levels, defines the organization of the MSAR’s physical space, the general conditions for the use and use of the soil, the rational organization of public infrastructures and equipment for collective use and also serves as a reference for the preparation of Detailed Plans.
For this purpose, the city was divided into 18 planning districts: the North District divided into 2 Districts, the Eastern District and the Central District divided into 3 Districts, plus the Outer Harbor, Taipa North District, Taipa Central District – both divided into 2 Districts – the Cotai District, Pac On District, Coloane District and UM New Campus area.
Four belts of development are also presented, namely, ‘An Historical Touristic Coastal Area’ Belt, a ‘One River, Two Margins’ Cooperation Belt, a ‘Knowledge, Industry, Science’ Belt and a ‘Resilient Green Belt’.
The ‘One River, Two Margins’ is included int he plans for deeper cooperation with Guangdong-Macau, Zhuhai and Hengqin, with urban development based on transport network expansion in order to enhance the economic advantages border posts, increase the potential for global development and build a model that will allow residents to travel between Macau and the main cities in Guangdong Province in an hour.
According to the plan, the land plots reclaimed by authorities near Nam Vam Lake – known as Zone C and D will be used to build government and administration buildings.
Meanwhile, large sports areas are planned for the Canidrome area and Zone A and D of the newly reclaimed areas, while new cultural installation will be developed in the south side of Zone A – and Lai Chi Vun village.
Developing the coastal areas to maximise leisure and green areas while protecting the local ecosystem is also one of the main goals expressed in the guidelines.
The draft presentation today also revealed plans for the development of a future 41 hectares reclamation area between Areia Preta and New Area Zone A, where green and leisure areas will be developed to complement the offerings in the region.
The DSSOPT has completed a feasible water reclamation study and will make the necessary request to central authorities for the project.
The plan draft also includes revitalization plans for the Inner Harbour area, with some docks – known as Pontes – to be transformed into commercial areas in the future, while a natural disaster prevention system will be established to prevent flooding in the low-lying area.
These include the future Tidal Barrier and studies to build levees, water tanks, drainage stations and other infrastructure required to improve the response to storm surges and flooding.
As for the concept of the new central library, Leong Wai Man, Vice-President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, only indicated that the necessary studies to define a new location are on-going, with an official announcement in the next one to two weeks.
This week it was revealed that the initial plans to build the new central library at the Old Court Building have been scratched, with the property to be used in the future again at the Court of Final Appeal.
Urban renewal works in areas with a larger concentration of older buildings and higher population density will also be prioritised, with renewal works to start first in the Tamagnini Barbosa, Areia Preta, Iao Hon, Horta e Costa, san Kiu, Conelheiro Ferreira de Almeida and Ferreira do Amaral areas.
The plan also emphasises the need for balance between development and the conservation of cultural heritage, by mitigating the impacts on the Historical Center of Macau caused by high population density and tourist activities and imposing appropriate restrictions on adjacent buildings heritage.
The need to preserve the natural landscape and the local cultural identity is also mentioned in the guidelines
When asked about the possible impact in local life quality by the number and scale of these proposed public construction projects, Infrastructure Development Office (GDI) Assistant Coordinator, Luis Carvalho, stated that the developments will be carried out in a gradual and phased manner so as to reduce the impact on local residents daily life.
After the public consultation and evaluation by the urban planning committee, the final urban master plan is expected to be delivered to the Chief Executive by September 2021.
