Master plan draft cuts 2040 population forecast to 783,000

The draft amendment to the Master Urban Plan has revised the projected total population to about 783,000 for the target year of 2040, with the total land area estimated at about 36.96 square kilometers.

The public consultation for the first amendment to the Master Urban Plan is currently underway.

The Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Raymond Tam, outlined at a briefing yesterday that the revision addresses two main areas: the accommodation of major public infrastructure projects – including the Macau International Integrated Tourism and Culture Zone, the Macao Technology Research Industrial Park, and Macau’s International Air Transport Hub on the west bank of the Pearl River – and the incorporation of updates reflecting recently enacted legislation, regulations, and research outcomes.

The consultation period will remain open until August 27. Yesterday’s briefing was primarily convened for Legislative Assembly (AL) members, public entity representatives, and members of the Urban Planning Committee.

According to the Secretary, the revised draft of the Master Urban Plan is designed to optimize Macau’s urban spatial structure and adjust land-use planning to establish a solid foundation for industrial diversification, innovation-driven growth, and regional connectivity, thereby enabling Macau to align with national development strategies, capitalize on its distinctive strengths, and enhance its overall competitiveness.

The draft incorporates land-use adjustments to accommodate major public infrastructure projects and other updates. The projected population for the 2040 target year has been revised downward from the original 2020 forecast of 808,000 to approximately 783,000 – a revision that some commentators regard as a science-based adjustment grounded in the latest demographic data, including birth rate trends.

Concurrently, the draft also proposes the addition of “an international high-end talent hub” to Macau’s development positioning.

The current land area covered by the plan is approximately 34.85 square kilometers, and with the development of New Urban Zone D, airport expansion, and near-shore reclamation, the total land area is projected to reach approximately 36.96 square kilometers by the target year of 2040.

The draft plan proposes the designation of land in New Urban Zone C for the Macau International Integrated Tourism and Culture Zone, with the proposed site encompassing land on the western side of New Urban Zone B and land in New Urban Zone C.

The amendments include the reclassification of land in New Urban Zone C from residential and commercial use to public utility use. Additionally, land on the western side of New Urban Zone E1 has been rezoned from residential to commercial use, while land on Avenida de Wai Long has been reclassified from residential to industrial use.

The draft amendment has been described as a clear response to the direction set out in the 2025 Policy Address, allocating strategic land for three major public infrastructure projects.

Among these, the Macau International Integrated Tourism and Culture Zone – with land reserved on the western side of New Urban Zone B and in New Urban Zone C – is positioned as a cluster of internationally influential cultural facilities. The western side of Zone B would link with existing cultural venues such as the Macau Science Centre, the Macau Cultural Centre, and Nam Van Lake.

Members of the public are being urged not simply to express support, but to take the time to carefully review the plan, understand how it affects them, and submit their views. Meanwhile, lawmaker José Chui has suggested that the current zone names – such as “East Zone 1” and “West Zone 2” – are overly rigid, and has called on the government to incorporate familiar local names like “NAPE” and “Lam Mau Tong” into official documents to improve readability and public engagement.