The Macao government has released its preliminary plans for the development of the city’s new International Integrated Tourism and Cultural Zone, which will consist of three venues – the Macau National Museum of Culture, the Macau International Centre for Performing Arts and the International Museum of Contemporary Art.
At a consultation session yesterday, officials said the current proposal will see the Macau National Museum of Culture built along the eastern coast of Macau Tower. Once established, the 80,000 to 100,000 square metre complex will become the largest museum in the city, serving as a space for cultural artifacts, exhibitions, international exchange and education.
Meanwhile, the Macau International Centre of Performing Arts will be situated on the west side of New Urban Zone C – an as yet unnamed artificial island situated to the north of Taipa, directly across from Macau Tower. The construction area of this venue is currently set between 55,000 and 65,000 square metres.
As for the International Museum of Contemporary Art, the government is proposing to construct the 35,000 to 45,000 square metre site on the east side of New Urban Zone C.
A public consultation that will last until 26 December is currently underway, with the Macao authorities looking to gather feedback across a range of areas, including the project’s goals, locations choices, facilities and management.
Individuals looking to share their opinion about the project may do so online via the designated webpage or by filling out the physical form and handing it to the office of the Cultural Affairs Bureau in Tap Seac Square. Alternatively, feedback can be sent to the department via email ([email protected]), telephone or fax.
“We will [also] systematically collect feedback through seven planned consultation sessions – five for professional sectors and two for the general public,” the secretary for culture and security, O Lam, said during yesterday’s consultation.
The two public consultation sessions are scheduled to be held in December, with further details expected to be announced in due course.
[See more: Does Macao need a proper Macanese museum?]
Regarding the new tourism and cultural project, the head of the Macau Urban Planning Institute, Chui Sai Peng, told TDM he believed it would help to enhance Macao’s international profile and competitiveness in the cultural sector.
Chui pointed out that a strategic link could be created between New Urban Zone C and Hengqin to boost the flow of visitors in the future. At the same time, the urban planner said the government needed to consider how it would finance such a large cultural project and take into account balanced development between Macao’s new and old districts.
Meanwhile, Lam Fat Iam, the dean of the Macao Polytechnic University’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, said to TDM that the proposed zone would provide more public leisure space for residents, as well as opportunities for performing arts talent to further develop.
Mention of Macao’s new International Integrated Tourism and Cultural Zone was first made during Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai’s maiden policy address in April. At the time, Sam revealed plans for four major infrastructure projects, one of which was the proposed zone.
The CE announced that the project was intended to achieve a number of goals such as enhancing Macao’s economic diversification and status as a “world tourism and leisure centre.”
The other three projects included the construction of a Macao-Hengqin international education (university) town, a Hengqin-based cargo terminal for Macao’s international airport, and a Macao technology research industrial park.
