Over the past 25 years, Macao’s government has placed the utmost importance on developing the city’s infrastructure. This should hardly come as a surprise given that the city has been growing rapidly since its return to the motherland in 1999. Not only has its population surged by 60 percent, but land reclamation efforts have expanded Macao’s landmass by more than a third. While Macao’s population remains relatively small – just 687,000 people – it is one of the most densely populated places in the world. And residents aren’t the only people the city’s authorities have to accommodate. Macao is a major tourist hub, welcoming over 39 million visitors at the industry’s peak in 2019 (an astronomical increase compared to the 7.4 million visitors who arrived before 2000).
Macao’s new leaders predicted this rapid momentum; it was their plan for the city from the start. That’s why they established the Office for Infrastructure Development (known by its Portuguese initials GDI) right off the bat, in 2000, to coordinate the maintenance, modernisation and development of the new Special Administrative Region (SAR)’s many construction projects.
One of the office’s early achievements was Sai Van Lake Plaza, which has hosted numerous events and festivities since opening in 2001. Another noteworthy project was a new checkpoint building at the Border Gate – Macao’s main entry point to Guangdong Province and by far its busiest border crossing. The 2.2-kilometre Sai Van Bridge (the third Macao-Taipa bridge), opened to the public in 2005, connecting the peninsula’s southwestern end with the northwestern tip of Taipa for the first time.
In the years since, Macao’s infrastructure has continued to develop at an impressive rate. Opening the fourth Macao-Taipa bridge was this year’s highlight: the 3.1-kilometre, eight-lane Macao Bridge is the easternmost of four bridges that connect the Macao Peninsula to Taipa. Its name was chosen by local residents.
A plan for the future
In 2022, the government launched an Urban Development Master Plan that laid out Macao’s infrastructural trajectory through 2040.
The blueprint divides Macao into residential, commercial, recreational and touristic zones, setting aside 18 percent of its land for nature and conservation. Almost a quarter of the city is reserved for government infrastructure.
Nuno Soares, head of architecture and design department at the University of Saint Joseph, describes the Master Plan as an important step forward for Macao: “It takes into consideration the overall interests of the city and of its citizens,” he says. Soares adds that the plan’s comprehensive scope and detail reveal impressive coordination between almost all of the SAR’s governmental departments.
Key departments involved include the relatively newly established Public Works Bureau (known by its Portuguese initials DSOP), which superseded the GDI in 2022, the Land and Urban Construction Bureau, the Transport Bureau, the Environmental Protection Bureau and the Housing Bureau among others.
Eco-friendly transportation
Like any other fast-developing city, Macao has experienced traffic congestion. This challenge is complicated by a hilly topography and many narrow, cobblestone lanes (built back when foot traffic and rickshaws were the norm).
As such, the SAR government has made public transportation a priority. In his 2003 policy address, then Chief Executive Edmund Ho announced plans were afoot for a new mass transit system “to tackle the root of the transportation problem”. These plans have materialised into an exceptionally well-developed network of bus routes that reach every corner of the city, and the ongoing development of Macao’s first ever railway, the Light Rapid Transit (LRT).
The LRT is a game changer for residents as it’s immune to the pressure points of rush-hour traffic. Its backbone, the Taipa Line, opened to much fanfare in December 2019. The now 12.5-kilometre route travels from Barra, on the peninsula, through the main residential communities of Taipa and into the historic Taipa Village, then past Cotai’s bustling strip of integrated resorts and the international airport to terminate at the Taipa Ferry Terminal. The Barra section opened last year, running the length of the Sai Van Bridge via a purpose-built lower level.
More lines are currently under construction. The ambitious East Line will terminate at the Border Gate, in the city’s far north, enabling visitors and residents to travel all the way from the mainland border to Taipa and Cotai by train. Shorter but no less ambitious, the soon-to-open Hengqin Line takes an underwater tunnel from Taipa into the mainland island of Hengqin. Opening the Hengqin Line will be a major milestone for Macao’s national integration, particularly in the context of the Guangdong-Macao Intensive Cooperation Zone in Hengqin.
Macao’s government is committed to making public transport as environmentally sound as possible. The LRT runs on electricity, meaning minimal carbon emissions, and most of Macao’s buses are also now electric. In recent years, a dramatic increase in the number of ‘green’ buses operating in the city has had a major impact on Macao’s overall greenhouse gas emissions.
Electrifying public transport is just one part of Macao’s long-term carbon reduction strategy, which aims to have the city reach ‘peak carbon’ before 2030 and achieve near-zero emissions by 2050.
Housing the next generation
When it comes to housing, having a place to live “in peace and contentment” is the government’s stated aim for Macao residents. Due to the city’s small footprint, increasing the supply of public housing has involved a series of ambitious land reclamation projects known as the Macao New Urban Zone. Of the five separate reclamation projects within the zone – which combine to 350 hectares – Zone A is by far the largest. It’s an island located off the northeastern flank of Macao Peninsula, tucked between the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal and the artificial island of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (known as HZMB).
Development there is well underway already, with Zone A’s first building – a nine-storey municipal complex – reaching completion in October 2023. A new road across the island opened mid-2024, guiding traffic headed to and from the HZMB, and construction of a nine-storey sports complex is expected to get off the ground early next year. A senior care home, schools, a health centre and other community facilities will be built to serve the 96,000 people who are eventually expected to live there.
Much of Zone A has been earmarked for residential developments, equating to around 32,000 flats in total. Twenty-eight-thousand of those will be public housing units. According to the government’s 2023 Policy Address, there were almost 48,000 public housing units in Macao as of 2022. Over 40,000 more – including Zone A’s – are being planned for the medium-long-term future. DSOP Director Lam Wai Hou said in an earlier interview by the Chinese edition of Macao magazine that the city’s new residential units would be designed in accordance with best practice protocols, maximising natural light and natural ventilation.
The Macao New Urban Zone’s smaller reclamation projects are located along the southern coast of Macao Peninsula (Zone B), and along Taipa’s northern coast (from east to west, they are zones C, D, E1 and E2).
‘Smart city’ aspirations
Macao’s infrastructure is not all housing and transport links; digitalisation is also an important part of the city’s evolution. In fact, “smart city development” was highlighted as a key means of enhancing Macao’s competitiveness in the SAR’s 2016-2020 Five-Year Development Plan. Its 2021-2025 Five-Year Plan called to “expedite the development of a ‘Digital Macao’.”
A smart city is a technologically advanced urban area that leverages technology to collect data then uses its findings to streamline municipal management. The aim is to run things as smoothly, efficiently and sustainably as possible, ultimately enhancing the well-being of residents. The roll-out of 5G in late 2022 was a major boon for Macao’s smart city aspirations.
However, the 2019 arrival of the Macao One Account app was likely the most revolutionary development on this front. Through it, Macao residents are able to carry out hundreds of administrative tasks with the tap of a finger. Through the ‘My Education’ function, for example, parents can enrol their kids in kindergarten and students can apply for scholarships. The ‘My Health’ function allows users to download medical certificates, book a vaccination and order prescription refills. They can also use the app to renew their ID card, dog licence or vehicle registration, pay utility bills, find a job and access their digital wallet.
From July this year, permanent residents have even been able to use their Macao One Accounts to access a QR code that lets them cross the Hong Kong border without having to present any physical ID. Over 620,000 local residents, about 91 percent of the population, had a Macao One Account as of 31 October 2024.
Other smart city developments have included the multifunctional e-wallet MPay, which supports international digital payment in more than 40 countries, including Portugal, Australia, Japan, the Philippines and the US. The Macau Pass, meanwhile, is a smart card that can be used to pay for bus trips, parking metres, convenience store items and many other purchases in the SAR.
The Macau Pass was co-developed by the United Nations University Institute (UNU) in Macao in the early 2000s and the institute’s current director, Jingbo Huang, says she is proud of how ubiquitous the card has become. She notes that UNU has been intimately involved in transforming Macao into a smart city since the beginning, through organising conferences on cutting-edge technologies and workshops for government officials, local students and local youth.
“Digital technology plays a key role in smart city development, and UNU Macau will continue to support Macao’s smart city development with our expertise,” Huang says. “We will also continue to connect local stakeholders and experts around the world in the digital tech field.”
Beyond Macao’s borders
While improving local infrastructure has been the SAR government’s priority over the past 25 years, a number of major cross-border projects have either reached fruition or are in the pipeline. These help foster Macao’s integration within the GBA as well as enhance the SAR’s connectivity to the rest of the world.
The HZMB physically links Macao, Hong Kong and the mainland for the first time and is without doubt the poster child for national integration. A collaborative project carried out by the governments of both SARs and Guangdong Province, this 55-kilometre bridge-and-tunnel system stretches across the Pearl River Delta via four artificial islands. It opened in 2018 and maintains the title of longest open-sea fixed link crossing in the world. At its inauguration ceremony, President Xi Jinping praised the bridge for its potential to contribute to development of the GBA.
The Macao-based architect, Soares, also emphasises the HZMB’s significance: “it places Macao within the regional context of the GBA, allowing it to play a greater role in the broader regional economy,” he says.
Looking even further outwards, the SAR’s government has regularly reinforced its commitment to promoting air travel to and from the city. That’s why one of the most significant infrastructure projects outlined in Macao’s 2024 Five-Year Development Plan is the expansion of the Macau International Airport (landfill works began this year). The project will ultimately involve adding more than 129 hectares to the current facility’s footprint through land reclamation, a process that will be executed in phases according to traffic demand, Macao’s Civil Aviation Authority stated in a press release.
The additional space will be used to park long-haul aircraft and carry out other plane-related activities, while increasing the airport’s annual passenger capacity by 3 million. An enlarged airport will boost the SAR’s ability to welcome international visitors, helping cement its position as a ‘World Centre of Tourism and Leisure’.
The past quarter century has seen Macao undergo a remarkable transformation. Thanks to careful planning by its leaders, with continuous support from the central government, the city’s extraordinary growth has been matched by equally impressive upgrades to its infrastructure – uplifting residents’ quality of life in a myriad of ways. From embracing digitalisation to fostering both regional and global connectivity, the SAR government’s commitment to progressive prosperity is evident.
