Architects slam management of public leisure areas

The lack of recreational facilities in Macau, a city of high population density, is providing the public very few options for public spaces in which to spend their leisure time. This is exacerbated by the many rules imposed in Macau’s leisure spaces, particularly some that are now being managed by the Sports Bureau (ID).

The Nam Van Nautical Center is one of the few leisure areas in downtown Macau which can accommodate several leisure activities for residents.

Launched in July 2005, the center was established to organize international-standard competitions.

As per the ID website, the center is a “training ground for water sports athletes and an ideal venue for cultural and recreational activities, and carnivals.”

Management of the Nam Van Nautical Centre and the recreational and sports areas around it was officially transferred from the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) to the ID in 2016.

Very recently the ID introduced new rules for the users of the Nautical Center which is one of the few traffic-free spaces in the downtown area where, for example, children could learn how to ride a bicycle. These rules include the prohibition of cycling, fishing and bringing in pets. Given the new measure, children now cycle at the square upstairs, close to vehicle traffic.

The Times contacted ID to ask for the reasons behind the new prohibitions.

“Since the management of the Nam Van Nautical Centre was transferred to the Sports Bureau, the Sports Bureau has adopted the same management measures for users of the Centre, that, due to safety and sanitary reasons, it is not allowed to bring in pets, nor cycling and fishing within the Centre,” it briefly replied.

However, experts argued that the government might likely have a misunderstanding of the term “leisure areas”, as several recreational activities are now forbidden in the public space.

Chair of Docomomo Macau and president of the International Council of Portuguese-speaking Architects (CIALT), Rui Leão, contended that such a move restricts the ability of residents to use recreational spaces.

“In a city like Macau where there aren’t many options for people to cycle and skate, namely the fact that the skating rinks that were demolished, it’s a really pity and a kind of step backwards because we all feel like we’re losing some of our liberties,” said the expert, who is also a member of the Urban Planning Committee, told the Times.

Leão warned that the local government should be cautious of introducing such regulations, as several of them infringe on the freedoms the MSAR citizens believe they are entitled to.

“There are a lot of things that are not regulated in Macau that corresponds to freedoms that have not been exercised […] by the communities in Macau,” he concluded, hinting that some regulations need to be discussed more thoroughly before they are implemented.

He suggested that the government should not be leading the prohibition of leisure activities in public spaces. In the absence of practicable regulations, Leão stressed that the strict implementation of rules by the bureau is a “step backwards” in Macau’s development as a city. He also cited Macau’s degrading quality of life.

Questioned about whether similar regulations would be applied if the recreational and sports areas were managed by a different bureau, the architect only noted that if the ID forbids citizens to freely use the space, then “it is a sign that they are not vey capable to do the management.”

With Macau being one of the densest cities in the world in terms of population, such imposed regulations are not beneficial to residents and in particular families.

With only a few options for residents to use public recreational and leisure spaces, experts argue that measures imposed on such facilities will hurt the image of the government.

“Macau is an overpopulated city and there aren’t many options for families to have a day out [for] leisure,” said Leão. “So if there are so many little options, this way of micromanaging and imposing all these little rules […] just harms the image of the government in the end.”

According to the architect, such measures only stress the issue of Macau’s lack of sufficient public facilities for leisure – which should work as an impetus for the government to commission more pools and parks for residents’ use.

“But instead what we see is this kind of micromanagement of small regulations and rules. The population is being harmed by the lack of options, so I think it’s the wrong way to address the issue,” he clarified.

Due to what he claimed was a mismanagement of regulations, Leão noted that the matter also raises the issue of the region’s absence of a master plan.

“There is no micro-strategy for dealing with these problems, instead we have government departments who have to handle alone and solve these issues by themselves. They do it without a kind of holistic view,” he said.

The architect suggested that the non-existence of a master plan in the region would likely affect residents’ quality of life in an “unimaginable way,” adding that the territory needs to acquire a collective reflection on several issues, and learn how they could properly be addressed for the development of the city.

Echoing these sentiments, Francisco Vizeu Pinheiro, an architect and an assistant professor of the Faculty of Creative Industries at the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) noted that there are also several government departments that avoid having to deal with public facilities.

According to him, such measures run contrary to Macau’s goal of becoming a world center for leisure and entertainment.

“The prohibitions could be replaced with more surveillance, allowing the possibility for citizens and tourists [to do more activities], like riding bicycles, [or] bring their pets around,” Pinheiro suggested.

“Facilities run by bureaucrats are managed with an orientation to avoid potential troubles [rather] than to serve the public,” he added.

The expert suggested that instead of forbidding citizens to practice several activities, Macau could have a centralized system that includes the cooperation of several departments that would be responsible for the management of public areas.

“The focus is to make the city a pleasant and enjoyable place [by providing] more areas for boats and bicycles, as well green and sport places […] to compensate the high density and pollution in the city center and in most parts of the city,” the architect proposed.

“Like the yin and yang harmony, open spaces are necessary for a city with the minimum life quality,” he continued.

The ID was also criticized last year following its enforcement of what were considered overbearing rules at the public swimming pools that were previously managed by IACM.

After the management of public pools was transferred to ID, signage detailing new regulations included, “No Eating”, “No Drinking” and “No Photo Taking.”

Recently, a mother of four slammed the bureau’s new regulations at the pool, which forbids an adult from accompanying more than three children. The move has prevented some schools from holding their regular summer activities.