The detailed urban development plan for Eastern District 2, which covers the New Urban Zone A artificial island and the surrounding area, was published by the government in the Official Gazette yesterday.
In comparison to the draft proposal that the government released in 2022, the new plan allows for far less green space and public open space – down 47 percent from the originally mooted 711,000 square metres to 373,719 square metres. Most of the land will instead be used for housing.
The plan did not mention whether or not the central government had signed off on a 0.36-square-kilometre reclamation project that was proposed in 2022. If it goes ahead, the land created is expected to be reserved for greenery and will be built in the area between the north-western coast of Zone A and the north-eastern coast of the Macao peninsula.
[See more: Architect Rui Leão deconstructs the Macao Urban Master Plan]
According to the document, the new district will cover 1.38 kilometres and will consist of 76 construction plots, with 49 earmarked for residential buildings (433,649 square metres), 3 for commercial purposes (15,255 square metres), 17 for public facilities (207,722 square metres), with the remainder reserved for government and community facilities. An estimated 96,000 people are expected to reside in the area when it is finally developed.
In terms of transport, four underground East Line LRT stations will be constructed, with three of them located in New Urban Zone A and one in Areia Preta. As well, four transport interchanges with a combined area of 12,900 square metres, and an 11,000-square-metre bus depot, are set to be built.
Eastern District 2 is among several projects currently underway that are designed to further develop Macao and alleviate the housing problems that its residents are facing.
