A 620-hectare project connecting the islands of Taipa and Coloane with land reclaimed from the sea is destined to become an entirely new and self-contained city within Macau, with its own schools, health centers, hospital, social and sports facilities, a cultural center with exhibition and conference space, museums, police and fire stations, markets and post offices. The new city of Cotai will be home to an estimated 150,000 residents and a considerable number of businesses. "All cities need industrial development," observes Engineer Jose Castanheira Lourenco, Director of GADA, (Gabinete para Apoio ao Desenvolvimento dos Aterros Taipa-Coloane) the government office for development of the reclamation area between the islands of Taipa and Coloane. "If neighbor cities can meet together and discuss the best solution, this is ideal," he continues, making an example of the cooperation between the cities of Macau and Zhuhai, which lies just across the border.  "We exchange ideas with the Zhuhai government," he says. "We had several meetings before presenting the final plan."

The Lotus Flower Bridge under construction

The latest Development of Cotai

The infrastructure development of necessity came first. Beyond making a substantial contribution to the future SAR's economic and social development as well as a marked impact on the surrounding region, Cotai will provide a base for the new regional transportation infrastructures that will comprise the airport, new roads, bridges and railway system strengthening the connection between Macau and The People's Republic of China. Expansion of the causeway connecting the islands of Taipa and Coloane has already been completed as part of the transport network that will link the area via the new Lotus Flower Bridge, under construction since 1998, to the Island of Montanha and beyond to Zhuhai via the Lapa Bridge, scheduled to be completed in October, with its new border crossing point ready for operation in September. Cargo and passenger facilities now in existence and those planned will interface neatly, Mr. Castanheira Lourenco explains, pointing out the nearby Ka Ho port and airport. The new border crossing at Cotai, with immigration and customs facilities, will greatly improve mobility of goods and people between Macau and the mainland, with additional capacity required as cross border commerce continues to grow and the single border crossing now operating in the city's northernmost section becomes overburdened. The new border facilities at the Lotus bridge will be served by six-lane approaches in both directions. A 185km-long high-speed railway linking Guangzhou, Zhuhai and Macau currently under construction will pass through the cities of Nanshai, Foshan, Jiangmen, and Xinhui, and the districts of Hoshan and Doumen. It will include a branch line that will connect Zhuhai with the deep-water port of Gaolan, through Doumen City. Passengers will be able to access this rail transport line and shippers will send and receive their goods via the railway complex at Cotai. The new transport facility will include a double electric rail line, a 15-floor multi-use passenger station with 3 platforms and 4 tracks, facilities for cargo trains as well as passenger trains, an engine yard and a branch line extending to the container terminal at Ka Ho port. Nearby Guangdong province is already upgrading its railway system, which will bring more areas of the province and its neighboring provinces into the mainstream of foreign commerce by the railway terminus planned on the edge of Cotai, adjacent to Macau International Airport. A multilane freeway stretching from Guangzhou and Hong Kong will extend as far as the Zhuhai-Macau border. Additional road expansion and improvement is already underway in Zhuhai, and Guangdong authorities are developing modern road communications westward to support the Hainan Island area and its contiguous coastline.  The Marine Club

A water treatment plant for Cotai has been inaugurated and has begun operating on wastewater from the area. Importance has also been given to planning of green areas, and according to Mr. Castanheira Lourenco, the previewed cost to be spent by the Macau government, with the reclamation land, construction of infrastructures including railway and roads, green areas and social services and facilities, is about 8 billion patacas (US$1 billion). Construction in public areas of Cotai will not be permitted to exceed 50 percent of the available land, and buildings of more than six storeys are restricted. Construction on a showcase 180,000-square-meter marina has begun, supported by a group of private investors, which will provide the area with a hotel, boating facilities, and a 250,000 square meter convention and exhibition center upon its completion in the year 2001. The New Border Crossing Point The Convention and Exhibition Center

Cotai is a city for the future, according to its developers. It is important for Macau, says Mr. Castanheira Lourenco, because it makes it possible for the city to expand, providing 6.2 square kilometers of space that is entirely new, and also flexible for use as needed. All private investments in the project must be compatible with GADA's master plan to be approved, Mr. Castanheira Lourenco stresses, and the guidelines for private development must be respected. But the economic evolution of the area is also very important, he notes. "Cotai is a plan for the near and medium-range future, to be completed with 10 to 15 years" explains Mr. Castanheira Lourenco. "It's a flexible plan that can be adjusted as conditions change in the region - as all development plans should be flexible."