Elevated walkway space preserved in new CityU project

The City University of Macau (CityU) has received approval from the Urban Planning Committee (CPU) to construct its new campus in the Seac Pai Van area. The project may reserve space for the linking of the new facility to the ongoing project of an elevated walkway on Avenida de Ip Heng.

The CPU held its plenary meeting yesterday to review 12 draft plans, with the urban conditions plan (PCUs) for the university’s new campus being one of the approved proposals.

This project was announced eight months ago, when the location of the new campus was revealed. At the time, the Times also reported that, after moving to the new campus, the current CityU facilities in Taipa will revert to the government, which already has a plan to assign them to the Macao University of Tourism.

According to its PCU, the leasehold site near Estrada do Altinho de Ka Ho and Avenida de Ip Heng covers an area of 10,696 square meters and is designated for educational facilities. The proposal allows for a maximum building height of 50 meters, a plot ratio of five times, and a coverage ratio of 50%.

The Foundation of City University of Macau previously requested that the authorities grant the land to it free of charge, without a public tender.

It is noted that the land grantee is responsible for designing, clearing, and constructing access pathways to the public pedestrian bridge, which must include public staircases with automatic escalators and elevators, as well as structural components for the bridge. These facilities must obtain approval from the Land and Urban Construction Services Bureau (DSSCU) before implementation.

During the meeting, several committee members discussed land plot ratios, sky bridges, greening, and transportation planning for the site. One member emphasized the value and scarcity of land in Macau. Another member proposed relaxing the floor area ratio to better utilize land resources for accommodating more students, referencing the Education and Youth Development Bureau’s guidelines for new school buildings.

The PCU for the CityU campus building will have a building area of 50,000 square meters, accommodating approximately 8,000 students at an average of 6 square meters each.

An official from the bureau’s urban planning department responded that the university’s current campus in Taipa has a floor area ratio of 4.5 times the land area. In contrast, the proposed new campus is set at five times, in line with similar institutions in Macau. This plan includes provisions for future expansion and upgrades, with a maximum building height of 50 meters as stipulated by Urban Planning Regulations. The coverage ratio reflects existing standards for comparable higher education institutions.

The design of the skywalk and arcade is part of an upgrade to the pedestrian system, aimed at improving safety and comfort in the walking environment. The same official from the DSSCU noted, “We are currently considering the approach used in the Lam Mau Tong area, which involves constructing skywalks along building perimeters […] This method offers several advantages, such as not obstructing views of the sky and allowing plants in the central green belt to grow healthily, facilitating aerial greening.”

The authorities believe this elevated walkway is essential for connecting various facilities and running paths, hoping it will attract more people to the Seac Pai Van community and enhance the local business environment.

The land plot on the line is situated in the eastern section of Seac Pai Van, immediately after the current Seac Pai Van development comes to an end.

To note that after the announcement of the move of the CityU campus to this land plot, the government also authorized the land previously occupied by the MAGRAN natural stone processing factory in Coloane to be redeveloped into a residential project.

This plot, which has been abandoned for many years, is situated just 200 meters from the CityU new campus plot and approximately 500 meters from the recently opened Seac Pai Van Light Rapid Transit Station. Renato Marques and Yuki Lei