Emerging Cross Border Tourism Region Macau-Zhuhai: Place in Play/Place to Play

This paper explores the new tourism region Macau-Zhuhai which is emerging in the south-western part of the Pearl River Delta (PRD). Since Macau’s handover to the People’s Republic of China in 1999, the former Portuguese enclave is becoming increasingly integrated into the PRD. Together with its mainland neighbor Zhuhai it is creating a bi-city region; although without coordinated planning. Currently, both cities embark on a first joint project encouraged by the Chinese Central Government on the island Hengqin. The paper is investigating the attempts of both cities to reinvent themselves as places to play and how they find themselves on the playing field of global and national forces. The paper ends with the suggestion of an alternative understanding of tourism and destinations which learns from spatial practices of a new generation of tourists in Asia.Este artículo explora la nueva región turística Macao- Zhuhai que está emergiendo en la región sudoeste del Delta del Río de las Perlas (DRP). Desde la entrega de Macao a la República Popular de China en 1999, el anterior enclave portugués se encuentra cada vez más integrado en el DPR. Junto con su vecino de territorio Zhuhai, está creando una región bi-ciudad; aunque sin un planeamiento coordinado. Actualmente, las dos ciudades se embarcan en un primer proyecto conjunto impulsado por el Gobierno Central Chino en la isla de Hengqin. El artículo se centra en los esfuerzos de las dos ciudades por reinventarse en lugares para jugar y en cómo se encuentran en el campo del juego a nivel de fuerzas globales y nacionales. El artículo finaliza con una sugerencia de entendimiento alternativo del turismo y los destinos turísticos basada en las prácticas espaciales de la nueva generación de turistas en Asia. 

Emerging cross border tourism Region Macau-Zhuhai: place in play/place to play

This paper explores the new tourism region Macau-Zhuhai which is emerging in the south-western part of the Pearl River Delta (PRD). Since Macau’s handover to the People’s Republic of China in 1999, the former Portuguese enclave is becoming increasingly integrated into the PRD. Together with its mainland neighbor Zhuhai it is creating a bi-city region; although without coordinated planning. Currently, both cities embark on a first joint project encouraged by the Chinese Central Government on the island Hengqin. The paper is investigating the attempts of both cities to re-invent themselves as places to play and how they find themselves on the playing field of global and national forces. The paper ends with the suggestion of an alternative understanding of tourism and destinations which learns from spatial practices of a new generation of tourists in Asia.Peer Reviewe

Emerging cross border tourism Region Macau-Zhuhai: place in play/place to play

This paper explores the new tourism region Macau-Zhuhai which is emerging in the south-western part of the Pearl River Delta (PRD). Since Macau’s handover to the People’s Republic of China in 1999, the former Portuguese enclave is becoming increasingly integrated into the PRD. Together with its mainland neighbor Zhuhai it is creating a bi-city region; although without coordinated planning. Currently, both cities embark on a first joint project encouraged by the Chinese Central Government on the island Hengqin. The paper is investigating the attempts of both cities to re-invent themselves as places to play and how they find themselves on the playing field of global and national forces. The paper ends with the suggestion of an alternative understanding of tourism and destinations which learns from spatial practices of a new generation of tourists in Asia.Peer Reviewe

Public Space Usage and Well-Being: Participatory Action Research With Vulnerable Groups in Hyper-Dense Environments

The importance of neighbourhood-level public space and its benefits have been discussed at large during the Covid-19 pandemic. While demands for public space increase, restrictions imposed by the containment policies such as social distancing and public space use have made profound health impacts on the general public. Such impact may further widen the gaps of existing health and social inequalities and engender well-being issues in vulnerable populations living in dense urban environments. To better understand vulnerable groups' perception and experience of access to public spaces and its association with well-being, we conducted participatory action research during the pandemic (October 2020 to April 2021) via surveys, focus group discussions, mapping, and co-creation workshops in Sham Shui Po, a hyper-dense and poverty-stricken district in Hong Kong. Participants reported demands for public space use and its significance to well-being and pointed to several environmental and social factors that hindered their usage, including perceived safety, hygiene concerns, and issues between different genders and ethnic groups in the neighbourhood. Pandemic-containment measures and the fear of infections may contribute to heightened anxiety and stress to some degree among the participants. Directions for local interventions of spatial improvement were identified. Our study further highlights the strength of participatory action research for the development of more user-oriented planning solutions and the potential of community mapping and co-creation activities to empower vulnerable groups and enhance their spatial competence

Urban image construction in Macau in the first decade after the "handover", 1999-2008

This paper describes the transformation of Macau's urban image in the first decade after the "handover" of the Portuguese enclave to the People's Republic of China (PRC). In the pre-handover years and the first years of the newly established Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR), urban interventions created an image thought to assure the continuity of Macau's Eurasian identity along with future financial stability. In 2002, with the governmental decision not to renew the local gambling monopoly, Macau's urban image was radically transformed. The liberalization of the gambling industry after Macau's return to the PRC was combined with the deregulation of building heights, developer-friendly land sales, a growing number of migrant workers, and the liberalization of travel restrictions for mainland visitors. These deregulations were based on decisions by the MSAR and the PRC governments, respectively, and led to the exponential growth of Macau's GDP within only six years. This paper describes how, through these decisions, Macau's urban image and space have been transformed.Der Beitrag beschreibt die Transformation des Stadtbildes von Macau nach der "Übergabe" der portugiesischen Enklave an die Volksrepublik China

Zur Konstruktion des Stadtbildes von Macau im ersten Jahrzehnt nach der "Übergabe" (1999-2008)

This paper describes the transformation of Macau’s urban image in the first decade after the “handover” of the Portuguese enclave to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). In the pre-handover years and the first years of the newly established Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR), urban interventions created an image thought to assure the continuity of Macau’s Eurasian identity along with future financial stability. In 2002, with the governmental decision not to renew the local gambling monopoly, Macau’s urban image was radically transformed. The liberalization of the gambling industry after Macau’s return to the PRC was combined with the deregulation of building heights, developer-friendly land sales, a growing number of migrant workers, and the liberalization of travel restrictions for mainland visitors. These deregulations were based on decisions by the MSAR and the PRC governments, respectively, and led to the exponential growth of Macau’s GDP within only six years. This paper describes how, through these decisions, Macau’s urban image and space have been transformed.Der Beitrag beschreibt die Transformation des Stadtbildes von Macau nach der "Übergabe" der portugiesischen Enklave an die Volksrepublik China

Emerging Cross Border Tourism Region Macau-Zhuhai: Place in Play/Place to Play

This paper explores the new tourism region Macau-Zhuhai which is emerging in the south-western part of the Pearl River Delta (PRD). Since Macau’s handover to the People’s Republic of China in 1999, the former Portuguese enclave is becoming increasingly integrated into the PRD. Together with its mainland neighbor Zhuhai it is creating a bi-city region; although without coordinated planning. Currently, both cities embark on a first joint project encouraged by the Chinese Central Government on the island Hengqin. The paper is investigating the attempts of both cities to reinvent themselves as places to play and how they find themselves on the playing field of global and national forces. The paper ends with the suggestion of an alternative understanding of tourism and destinations which learns from spatial practices of a new generation of tourists in Asia.Este artículo explora la nueva región turística Macao- Zhuhai que está emergiendo en la región sudoeste del Delta del Río de las Perlas (DRP). Desde la entrega de Macao a la República Popular de China en 1999, el anterior enclave portugués se encuentra cada vez más integrado en el DPR. Junto con su vecino de territorio Zhuhai, está creando una región bi-ciudad; aunque sin un planeamiento coordinado. Actualmente, las dos ciudades se embarcan en un primer proyecto conjunto impulsado por el Gobierno Central Chino en la isla de Hengqin. El artículo se centra en los esfuerzos de las dos ciudades por reinventarse en lugares para jugar y en cómo se encuentran en el campo del juego a nivel de fuerzas globales y nacionales. El artículo finaliza con una sugerencia de entendimiento alternativo del turismo y los destinos turísticos basada en las prácticas espaciales de la nueva generación de turistas en Asia. 

Urban Image Construction in Macau in the First Decade after the “Handover”, 1999-2008 Zur Konstruktion des Stadtbildes von Macau im ersten Jahrzehnt nach der "Übergabe" (1999-2008)

This paper describes the transformation of Macau’s urban image in the first decade after the “handover” of the Portuguese enclave to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). In the pre-handover years and the first years of the newly established Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR), urban interventions created an image thought to assure the continuity of Macau’s Eurasian identity along with future financial stability. In 2002, with the governmental decision not to renew the local gambling monopoly, Macau’s urban image was radically transformed. The liberalization of the gambling industry after Macau’s return to the PRC was combined with the deregulation of building heights, developer-friendly land sales, a growing number of migrant workers, and the liberalization of travel restrictions for mainland visitors. These deregulations were based on decisions by the MSAR and the PRC governments, respectively, and led to the exponential growth of Macau’s GDP within only six years. This paper describes how, through these decisions, Macau’s urban image and space have been transformed. Der Beitrag beschreibt die Transformation des Stadtbildes von Macau nach der "Übergabe" der portugiesischen Enklave an die Volksrepublik China

Zur Konstruktion des Stadtbildes von Macau im ersten Jahrzehnt nach der "Übergabe" (1999-2008)

This paper describes the transformation of Macau’s urban image in the first decade after the “handover” of the Portuguese enclave to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). In the pre-handover years and the first years of the newly established Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR), urban interventions created an image thought to assure the continuity of Macau’s Eurasian identity along with future financial stability. In 2002, with the governmental decision not to renew the local gambling monopoly, Macau’s urban image was radically transformed. The liberalization of the gambling industry after Macau’s return to the PRC was combined with the deregulation of building heights, developer-friendly land sales, a growing number of migrant workers, and the liberalization of travel restrictions for mainland visitors. These deregulations were based on decisions by the MSAR and the PRC governments, respectively, and led to the exponential growth of Macau’s GDP within only six years. This paper describes how, through these decisions, Macau’s urban image and space have been transformed.Der Beitrag beschreibt die Transformation des Stadtbildes von Macau nach der "Übergabe" der portugiesischen Enklave an die Volksrepublik China