Role: Brian Jennett designed and coordinated the master planning effort while working at SOM as a Senior Urban Planner/Designer. This involved working closely with officials from Las Vegas Sands/The Venetian to develop a program for 17 large casino/hotels representing over 25,000 rooms and 5 million square feet of retail/gaming activity. Brian provided the initial plan layout of these properties, including servicing and circulation requirements, recreational open space opportunities, and recommendations for transit provision. Work included producing drawings, models, reports, parcel by parcel design guidelines, marketing and sales materials, and other presentation materials for the client, government officials, and investors. 

Click here for more information on the project.

Theming, Marketing, & Continuous Evolution

Much attention is given to the styles and theming of the architecture and interiors of these projects. Many properties reference other leading destinations in Europe as well as Asia; some are more modern and contemporary. It should be noted that design of the individual properties was provided by others and has evolved (and will continue to evolve) over time. 

The segmented nature of large scale tourism means that numerous types of products and experiences are offered for different demographics and target markets. Numerous global brands operate the various hotel properties, with some properties containing more than one brand. Hotels are only a part of the equation: casinos within each property (totaling over 4 million square feet) are the the main draw, but there are a host of retail (approximately 1700 stores), dining (over 400 restaurants), and entertainment attractions (a major arena, performing arts venues, cinemas, theme parks/water parks, museums, rides, amusements) throughout. With so much to offer, the project is also a major MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Convention, Exhibition) destination - one of the largest in Asia.

Although the project has only been in existence about 20 years, there has been a series of expansion, redevelopment, redesign, and rebranding efforts as operators of individual properties have changed over time. Similar to Las Vegas, the Cotai Strip will adapt and grow as interests and tastes change; it will never be 'finished'. Themed destinations are common in the "Experience Economy" and are part of life in the postmodern era. If one wishes to explore the philosophy and reasoning behind these types of places, there are books (eg. 1, 2, 3, 4) which delve into the topic in much greater detail than what can be covered here. It is actually an interesting topic - one where marketing intersects with environmental psychology, consumer behavior, and technology across an increasingly sophisticated and varied global culture.

Gaming & Economic Development

Academic and design community handwringing aside, these are some of the most lucrative properties on the planet, with the highest revenues per square foot. There are any number of superlatives that highlight the magnitude of their success. As a direct result of this project, Macau has become the densest (population has increased 50%) and most visited city on the planet, with the most international tourists (40 million/year pre-pandemic, if including visitors from China - a more than 5-fold increase since the 1990s), and annual tourism receipts that rank it above other leading destinations such as New York, Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Istanbul. Considering that the local population is less than 1 million people, that is quite an achievement. 

Tourist revenues per visitor are high; per local resident they are the highest in the world. The economy is highly dependent on that tourism, but it has given the city one of the highest GDP per capita figures in the world (higher than New York, Hong Kong, or Singapore pre-pandemic). The Cotai Strip is the largest single tourism area within the city, and includes the world's largest casino, which is located in Asia's largest building complex (The Venetian). At over 10 million square feet, it contains more area than the Pentagon and the former World Trade Center Towers in NYC - it is the 8th largest building in the world. 

Given that the average modern hotel is closer to 100-250 rooms per property, the 25,000+ rooms in the Cotai Strip are equivalent to approximately 100-250 'regular size' hotels. Each of the roughly 20 "integrated resort" properties here is itself massive: although they vary in size, most are equivalent to 15-30 individual hotels all by themselves (1500-4500 rooms each). Most have significant retail components; some of these are as large as traditional malls (which did not exist in Macau prior). Many host 20 restaurants or more. 

The entire project defies traditional notions of scale. Without question, this is one of the world's largest (by built area), fastest developing (construction started 20 years ago), and most commercially successful master-planned projects ever developed. Three of the properties in Cotai make the list of the 12 most expensive buildings in the world. The 500 or so acres of the Cotai Strip are similar in size to Midtown Manhattan. Each property occupies an area equivalent to several city blocks. The Venetian Macao property alone occupies an area closer to 50 NY city blocks, and it was designed and built in just a few years.

Although it shares some logic and stylistic references, the Cotai Strip is very different from its Las Vegas counterpart. It was meant to be a newer and better version, adapted for the different cultures and tastes of the region. It did not grow organically as Las Vegas (or pre-Cotai Macau) did; it jumped straight to the era of corporate, mega-size, "integrated resorts". These properties are obviously different from the existing city fabric, but by locating them away from the historic center, in a separate zone, much of the the charm of the old city was preserved.

Six years after the first property had opened, the Cotai Strip generated revenues that exceeded all of Macau's other smaller casinos (20) combined; more importantly, Macau as a whole earned over 7x the gaming revenues of Las Vegas itself (this has since moderated somewhat). While figures have fluctuated wildly due to periodic government actions, the pandemic, and the slowdown in China's broader economy, the city's growth is projected to continue. Macau will be the world's leading tourism destination for some time to come, simply because of the scale of the investments that have been made, and this is despite competition from a growing number of places seeking to capitalize on the same model and associated trends. 

The Costs of Progress

All of this growth has come with costs, of course. As the economy has changed, so too the people, the politics, the culture. Although many have won big, some things have indeed been lost. The character of the place has certainly changed, at least in parts. Any city built on hilly islands in the era before modern vehicles has a certain appeal, but it has to take measures to sustain itself. In Macau's case, that has involved significant reclamation; originally a mere 3 sqkm, it is now over 30 sqkm. In the beginning the expansions were for port and other infrastructure, as well as housing and some industry. Lately, gaming has occupied the bulk of the newer areas. The contrast between the old and new is significant.

Living in Hong Kong in the mid 90s, Macau used to be a sleepy enclave where one made visa-runs; we used to pass the time wandering the crooked streets, perusing antique furniture, and eating fish at Fernando's (Hac Sa Beach). We would sample the egg tarts and have tea on the terrace at the Bela Vista Hotel (now the Portuguese consulate). On occasion, there were bigger events that drew crowds (the Grand Prix), but for the most part it was a quiet place where the last vestiges of a colonial era were quickly fading away. It even had a bit of a darker "reputation" associated with triad gangs, smugglers, women of the night, and risky games we had never heard of. 

It was the kind of exotic backdrop that made for a good James Bond or noir film: men with machine guns literally stood on pedestals in the middle of the casino floor, which was full of laborers betting wages they could not afford to lose. It was place of stories and gossip and intrigue, although much of that was in the distant past, if not our imagination. Click here for books and movies where the city has been featured, which may capture some of its former mystique.

Like so many things in developing Asia, it was not to last. Macau is now something else, amplified in scale, with new people and forces propelling it into the unknown. What used to be a struggling enclave has been transformed. The dirty streets, walkways, and plazas have been repaved, often with Portuguese-style tile work. The buildings have been painted and lit up at night. The retail, restaurant, and cafe scene has expanded considerably.

Gaming destinations are typically not known for celebrating the identity of the places where they locate; even in early Las Vegas, the "cowboy western" town was largely an invented theme. Macau is somewhat different in that it has a (UNESCO-designated) historic area. It is also a tropical climate, not a desert one; it retains the salty, humid air of a coastal city at night, like Miami or Rio. If you walk the old city or spend time at the pool deck, its noticeable, even enjoyable. However, the newer mega properties are largely introverted, by design. They don't want you to know what time it is, much less what it is like outside. They want you to lose yourself - and your money - at the tables. 

Despite the comparisons that are often made, Macau is very different from Vegas. The people visiting are different (less than 10% are from outside of Asia). How they get around, the games they play, the food they eat, the entertainment they indulge in, the goods they buy - basically, the way they spend their time - all of this is somewhat different. So despite the fact that the new, corporate Macau is sanitized in some ways, and uses some of the same theming associated with other places, it still retains the aura of its past. 

The celebration and commodification of cultures continues, but in new, exaggerated, artificial ways. The buildings are generic, modern shells with theming that has been applied in surface level symbols and signage, and temporary at that. This is the so-called 'decorated shed', not the 'duck', from  the seminal 1960s book "Learning from Las Vegas". It is closer to the architecture of a shopping mall, rather than the kind of high design, informed by culture and climate, version that is taught in schools as the ideal. While it is still 'form follows function' at a basic level (modernism), it adds popular theming that drives people to spend (postmodernism). It is actually a lot more than that, given technology these days, but a lot of that happens behind the scenes. What comes after postmodernism? metamodernism? I am not sure it matters. These buildings can no longer be fully understood using the framework of planning or design alone. This is the "experience economy", and anything goes.

Meanings & Interpretation

Faceless globalization. Unrestrained consumerism. Corporate capitalism. Moral ambiguity. These and other dystopic themes in the context of gaming in Macau generate simultaneous feelings of nostalgia, futurism, existentialism, and ambivalence. Is this nihilism or stoicism? I don't know. I do think about it, and I am certainly sympathetic to those struggling with such issues. I lament the loss of what was and wonder where we are headed. Most, of course, do not give any of this a second thought.

Whatever reservations one has, it is still possible to celebrate the extraordinary achievements that have been made in the city - they are, if nothing else, a testament to people's skills, hard work, and desire to get ahead. Also, their resilience.

With the mix of people and cultures found in global tourism destinations such as Macau, is it possible we are evolving from the age of xenophobia to one that celebrates 'global convergence'? Can we say for sure that is a bad thing? Macau is reflective of the world today, and all its excesses. It reminds me of large music festivals: people coming together from all walks of life to hedonistically dance away their concerns about where the world is heading, in a place with fewer rules. It is a relief valve. These places have a purpose in the world.

Every generation says "things aren't what they used to be". This is certainly true in rapidly changing Asia, and Macau is not alone. While it may have lost some of its character, it will no doubt continue to evolve - and it is important to acknowledge that what it is becoming may be as interesting as, if not more interesting than - its past. The expansion of the industry has helped clean up a city that suffered from corruption and crime, although exploitation continues. There are new challenges, but there are also new opportunities. The money being raised can and should be used to diversify the economy, and tell the stories of this place (of which there are many). Particularly now that more people are visiting than ever before, more than would have ever come otherwise, had it not embraced the opportunities it has. 

Macau was one of the richest cities in the world for several hundred years (from the mid 1500s when it became a Portuguese colony and an important node for trade that was becoming increasingly global, until the mid 1800s, when its role was gradually displaced by Hong Kong). It then went into decline for several generations before climbing back to the top of the list with its recent surge in development. There are lessons to be learned. Many cities are trying to copy its model of success.

This is the world's most sophisticated tourism machine, and the people that live and work here are learning how to operate it at the highest levels. Many will only stay for a short while; some will take what they learn to new places, which will lead to growth elsewhere. While reflecting on the past, it is important to remember that there are positive impacts of development that extend far and wide, and these shouldn't be ignored.