Hong Kong, Macau struggle with their identity as cross-border cities
Research into frontier cities finds they and their twins over the border have complementary strengths but fight for their 'authenticity'
Researchers from Harvard University have put Macau's physical and cultural landscape under the spotlight, delving into the key characteristics that make a cross-border city.
The three-year, multimillion-dollar project started in 2012 and is split into three chapters, with the one about Macau and its relationship to Zhuhai being the second one. It is funded by global architecture and engineering consultancy AECOM and is its first collaboration with Harvard's graduate school of design.
The Macau findings can, in part, be applied to Hong Kong as both are distinct frontier cities and former colonies, have a mix of Eastern and Western cultures and are now special administrative regions.
A key finding was that frontier cities are more likely to struggle with their identity and fight for their "authenticity".
"Cross-border cities create exacerbated difference because of their proximity to each other, divided by a political and economic border," said Professor Christopher Lee, associate professor in practice of urban design, who is leading the project.
Last September, Lee travelled to Macau with a group of students and met local urban planners, architects and professors to discuss the city's development.
"They work in competition but also in co-operation, so Macau develops something that Zhuhai doesn't have and vice versa," he said, with Macau providing jobs and Zhuhai offering cheaper housing.