Its notable that’s it’s always about spending money not about doing green things per se and certainly not from the communities themselves.
In that way Taiwan is really backwards.
really? i could think of other areas. how about wanhua? doesn’t that place have enough history to warrant a clean up? if theres anywhere that would benefit from being spruced up it would be wanhua.
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I actually hope the government keeps its hands off of Wanhua. I think the grittiness is a big part of Wanhua’s charm. A Disneyfied version just wouldn’t be as interesting.
They ‘Disneyfied’ every ‘old’ street in Taiwan already!
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Yeah man Disney versions of Wanhuas 60 year old hookers…I can see it now.
Wanhua is going to have a funky new train station/shopping complex with adjacent five star hotel (Caesar Park) pretty soon. Thats supposed to be the catalyst for development in the area
The North Gate is great. One of the few times in Taiwan where I have seen a swift move to make something better for the greater good. I’m not sure why, but it made me feel more positive about Taiwan than I have for a long time
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yea i walked past last week. its ok. the starbucks next to it is cool too, its inside an old mansion. even tho starbucks is like my least favourite cafe here, that particular one i can stand.
i wasn’t really talking shopping malls though. the first thing that needs sorting out is the huge amount of homeless people infront of long shan temple. its one of the top tourist spots in taipei, one of the first stops for travellers. not exactly a good first impression.
and i didn’t mean disneyfy the place either. beimen is the example to follow.
I haven’t even been there. Building a five star hotel signifies that someone has rich friends who plan to regenerate the area.
Wanhua has some pretty cool touristy bits. Just the bit around the station and the snake alley part is weird and depressing.
Hey guys, I split the topic from the Gogoro electric scooter thread.
@Brianjones had one post there that split into two topics, here it is for reference.
Sorry for the confusion! Happy posting.
The Yansan night market area near Daqiaotou stn should be bulldozed. As should all of Keelung.
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Let’s start with removing all the pigeon pens and rusty cage balcony/window extensions all over Taiwan, then let’s remove all the corrugated steel add-ons, let’s unblock all the covered walkways they use now as extension of restaurants and food stalls. When that’s done Taiwan will look and feel more like a modern society and not a third world country.
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Que paso, que paso, vamos ahi!?
Even our favelas are more colorful and lively than the chicken coops people live in here. 
Only thing we may have in common is the garbage mountains.If they are present, they are huge.
I agree with you in that I also do favor removing the steel constructions. Deadly in fires, that mostly affect the poorest. Taiwan already has plenty of more ecological materials to use.
The balcony wiring serves a purpose: when stuff starts flying around in typhoons, they keep you safe-ish.
All those old unkept buildinghs have a reason: they are too expensive. They are investments for people, and cheap rentals. Average whole family of 8 living in a 23 ping chicken coop waits for the Deux ex macchina of a construction company that will but their property, bulldoze it, and then they will be rich. That is why people battle each other for inheritances. Usually it is a lazy bum brother/son in law who forces semi senile parents to sign up the property to them, though most of the time it is the parents themselves who do it as it is tradition. Never mind the 5 sisters who took care of them while sick.
As to why th eproperties are so expensive, well, the reasons for the bubble are economic and political. Mostly, it is stupid greed, as with everything else that goes wrong here.
It could be kept within the balcony and not hang outside to increase space. Ugly!
Where is this? Just the Wanhua TRA station being renovated, or what?
What exactly is so great about the North Gate area? I live near there and use Beimen station almost every day, sure it’s not bad but just seems like a bunch of roads and an elevated highway. Am I missing something?
I’d like to see the CKS Memorial Hall painted black, and the statue replaced with some sort of victims’ memorial. Oh, and the museum replaced with an actual museum, that doesn’t just show off his cars and medals (and rent out space to dubious educational exhibits).
Eh how long have you lived in the area? Seriously, it was a dark, creepy spot.
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Yes…
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The bit by the water is OK. Bulldoze the rest immediately