What do you think needs to be addressed in Taipei?

I think that the people in Forumosa need to be a little bit more proactive when talking about local politics. For sure we have the brains here to make Taipei a better city (if someone wants to start a make your other city better thread, please do it). We know this is a decisive moment, and we can do in a short period of time a compilation of ideas that can be given to all the candidates and newspapers. Forumosa is a space where many foreigners mingle, and therefore, many different experiences can be assembled together.
If we want, for sure we can try to make this country better and start being a more active voice in the local community. Maybe it is up to us, who are from more developed democracies, to give the good example.

My first worry in Taipei goes with the general non-pratical aspects of living here. There are too many things that can be changed just with a small amount of investment.

I allready put it elsewhere, but I will put it here again - The biggest pollution problem in Taipei comes from stormwater (and believe me, after the rain, you don’t get that fresh odour). To address it, I would change the way people think about planning. The easiest way to decrease the stormwater quantity that goes into the rivers is to increase the green mass. This can be done by introducing the concept of rain gardens (uri.edu/ce/healthylandscapes/raingarden.htm), small sidewalks with stormwater retainers (think of a garden before the stormwater collector - nice on the view and it helps cleaning up the water), use of rain barrels in residences to act as a storage compartment for lowering water consumption (when properly equipped, a rain barrel can also be used to reduce the quantity of stormwater in peak moments).

Introducing the concept of external tubes in houses, with 2 functions - 1 is to put all the cables you normally see hanging around (just make a law that states that companies cannot have their cables at view, and enforce it), the second is to conduct stormwater from every single corner of the apartments - this would make houses nicer to view, would reduce the noise created by rain and house reduce the water drops you get when walking in the streets.

Create a partnership with a street furniture company (JCDecaux, by example) to ease the burden of citywide investment on new bus stops, automated public conveniences and newspapers stands. Also, these companies take care of maintenance, creating an image of cleanliness.

Investment on Bus Rapid Transit lines, specially on the major avenues. Either using a conventional double articulated bus or using more expensive systems like the TransLohr (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Translohr) they can alleviate the cities troubling traffic problem, by creating a good (and I said good) alternative. In fact, they can use the same system used in some countries where the bus stop acts as a station to the bus, providing both shelter and fast entrance/exit for people, with tourniquets for people to go pass their easycard - the amount you will pay will depend on the actual trip you make, not on the quantity of buses you take). Also, creating roundabouts for cars with middle stations will help people transit between lines, ensure the timescale and increase the quality of the service. I don’t have an exact figure to follow on this, but can explain it easily to anyone using a small piece of paper. Another way of doing this is by centralizing the amount you pay, meaning that if you enter bus route A in stop 1 and exit on stop 5 (pay 4stops equivalent) and then enter bus route B from stop 3-6, you can get a discount on the second one, and not pay a full fare (10 minutes interval between entering bus stop). Also, implementation of monthly fees would be a reasonable way to help the people who need to use the system more. If the Bus system is the one who gets to be approved, low emission buses like the articulated MB Citaro G, are a good way of diminishing the pollution. Also, implementing a global information system will increase the public satisfaction, by providing real-time information for bus schedules.

Creating a Taipei City car pass, where people wanting to bring their car to Taipei city would have to pay a tax (like in London), and this tax would be used to fund the previous proposal. This Tax would be addressed by the pollution type of the car (we can use the Euro 1/2/3/4/5 (this one from 2008) standard to put it for passenger cars). All cars with non-polluting alternatives (just like the Prius) would be considered for 0 tax. This tax can be collected as a stamp to be shown on the right side of the windshield (cars parked inside Taipei city without this stamp would be blocked, and the owner would have to pay a fee to have his car back). Buses and trucks would have to pay a special Tax, which would be discussed with the respective unions.

Introducing Cameras on red light to catch offenders, just like New York did, would be a deterrent for accidents and speeding.

Increasing the number of sidewalks on the streets, as cities are made for people, not for cars. A better planning of the streets will also be needed, especially when dealing with parallel streets having 2 senses of traffic. These sidewalks would include small garden that would help filtrate the stormwater.

Increase the signalization of the streets and improve the application of laws (just apply them).

Fund a global city face wash, by allowing special publicity in the construction protectors - the funds from this publicity would be used to pay the bank loan and part of the rebuild, making the loans for the people interest free or very low interest ones. This formula is used in the most beautiful cities in the world as it gives the landlords a easy and cheap way of having façade reconstructions - this project only applies to the non-habitable area of the building, so that no landlord can use it for own profit. The city can also accept candidatures for buildings who need facelifts that are on sale, being that the building is evaluated before the reconstruction begins and the owner will have this value after a public sale (meaning that the city will get the extra money generated from the rebuilding). If this formula is used correctly, it will create more quality housing in older areas (portovivosru.pt/sub_menu_7_5.php for an example of a 19th century rebuilding in the city of Porto, Portugal; the street where this house is was first opened in 1518; this project is co-funded by 5 companies, and all of them have been offered a full front publicity for a period of time (Schindler for the elevator, Weber for construction materials, Portgas for the natural gas pipelining, Marilina Tintas for the paiting and floor polishers and Portugal Telecom for the full communication package (cable TV and Telephone/Internet Access)).

Regulate the billboards in the city, including establishment of a maximum height for lights to be put, to save both power and give the inhabitants of the city a view to the sky… Publicity in the exterior of buildings should also be addressed as visual pollution.

Excellent idea Boogie. Are you suggesting these ideas be put together into some kind of manifesto? There’s not that long until the election. Do you think candidates would view the opinions of foreigners as important, or think that their support would be a vote winner?

Anyway, a couple of my ideas.

There’s a surprising amount of green space in Taipei, but somehow it doesn’t feel very green. Look down from the top of Taipei 101 and you’ll see lots of greenery. Somehow at ground level the concrete seems to overpower it. Many of the existing green spaces could be joined up. Two examples:

Between Civic Boulevard and Zhongxiao Road near Taipei Main Station is a large open space. But it’s cut up by small roads. If these could be rationalised and/or buried there could be a large park the length of Daan Park and nearly as wide. The roads wouldn’t need to be completely buried since if tunnels (roofs) were built over the top and grassed over, it would provide a landscape. Even very minor landscaping makes a park much more pleasing to the eye. Taipei is very flat. This park would stretch from Zhongshan N Road to Chongqing or Yanping N Road.

There’s a similar situation between Songjiang N Rd and Yuanshan MRT station, north of Minzu E Rd. Xinsheng Park borders Zhongshan Art Park which is bisected by Zhongshan N Rd. On a map it looks like a single green space. It doesn’t feel like that. By ripping up a few fences, putting in a few interconnecting pathways and pavements and putting Zhongshan N Rd into a covered trench/tunnel, you would have another park the size of Daan.

The area in front of the Presidential Office, down Ketagelan Boulevard could be a large civic square. Run the roads round the outside. Bury the car park presently there and you could have a large square acting as a focal point. There’s a lot wrong with Taiwanese politics. Without getting too carried away, giving Taipei a civic heart, a centre around the Presidential Office could be a positive thing. Could even be home to a large statue of any politician who could do a good enough job to be worthy of it!

Move the Legislative Yuan into the Control Yuan building (ok, probably not in the scope of the Mayoralty). Legislatures should look like legislatures, not hospitals. Virtually everyone in Britain and many around the world recognise the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben [sic]. Who in Taiwan has a strong image of the legislature? We shape our buildings and then they shape us. Important buildings should command respect.

I believe Chicago has had a very proactive regeneration/renewal program over the last decade or so, with green credentials. Don’t know too much about it, but it might be a good model.

Use the rivers. Taipei is effectively a walled city. I accept that flood defences are necessary, but I refuse to believe water has ever come anywhere close to the top of the flood walls (and if it did, the gates would surely collapse very quickly). Lower the walls a little. Raise the surrounding area a little (making it more like a dyke than a wall). Dykes can be built on top of (giving great views). Encourage river traffic. Regular river taxis to Danshui.

The area around Taipei City Hall has a lot of open space but no heart or focal point. Again, this area is cut up by roads. Looked at on a map or better, on Google Earth, it’s a large area but it doesn’t feel like a city centre or heart. Politicians should love this because it draws attention to their office (which is a good thing because it makes us keep an eye on them). Perhaps someone might even have spotted that body on City Hall a bit quicker.

This one’s a big one, that shouldn’t be such a big deal. Make the pavements flat. At least make all new buildings be level with the neighbouring buildings. I guess it’s something to do with the overhanging buildings. Presumably, the shopfronts belong to the building, not the city, so the owner can build at whatever level they like. It shouldn’t be rocket science to find a way of changing the law to prevent this though. The President’s (and former Taipei Mayor) wife is in a wheel chair for God’s sake!

That’s all for now.

I resolve to firmly scratch my bottom until the mayoral election. This will have every bit as great an effect on Taipei’s liveability as your typing and will be a lot more satisfying for me, I guarantee. But go ahead and knock yourselves out.
I’d go down City Hall first though, before racking your brains over bright ideas. You’ll find that just about every suggestion you put forward – certainly the storm gardens, no exposed cable and downpipes from the roofs – have all been gazetted and discussed at length – and rejected as unsuitable for Taipei’s “unique” situation.
You DON’T need to provide your superior “foreigner insight.” You need to disguise it as “Chinese insight” and maybe it’ll be considered.
They would prefer to invent a square wheel rather than accept that a Western round version is already widely available and actually works better.

I just did a story about yet MORE concerned foreign businessmen practically BEGGING Da Bien to get his finger out of his backside on cross-strait transport before there’s no foreign industry left here. Predictably, he chided them on not really understanding the “complex” issue and smiled nicely at them in preparation for totally ignoring everything they said.

I just enjoy imagining how things could be improved - in any situation, place or scale, from my home layout to a city layout. If there’s any chance of something positive coming out of my imaginings, such much the better. If not, it’s nice to share positive ideas anyway.

I think that doing a manifesto is a good idea, although the more experienced might say we are crazy. But, maybe, we are here trying to show that we are comitted to the city and to the community. It is ok to stay at your place and scratch your balls as politicians babble about where each of them lives. But it is also ok to show to politicians and the general populace that to get things better, all you need is will. Also, if we put a nice looking figure, the politicians will have some trouble saying no to our proposals in front of the cameras. It is kind of strange not to have debates on projects for Taipei, as it seems that all the candidates are deprived of any kind of idea on what to do to the city.

Sandman, we are not talking about cross-strait relationships here.

You’re right. We’re not. We’re talking about dirty foreigners telling the great Taiwanese how to run their city.
Remember the other day when Stephen Young (not a dirty foreigner but an ahem “important VIP”) warned about America’s running out of patience with the clowns?
No mention whatsoever about the facts of the matter. ALL they were concerned about – absolutely the ONLY thing of any note – was that he “insulted” Taiwanese with his “insensitive” remarks.

You go on up to city hall and go on camera with your ideas – I’ve no idea how you expect to do that, by the way, but it should be interesting – and I guaranfuckingTEE that the only thing you’ll get is “You don’t love Taiwan culture? You think we so dirty? You think Taiwanese people STUPID? Get out our country NOW!”

well, then we start to know why these cities are so bad. But then again, from giving ideas to calling Taiwanese stupid is a moronic step and only makes the people who assume it stupid themselves.

Or maybe Europeans should stop sending their cars and wines and other things, because, hey, Taiwanese can make it better…

If we buy European wines/cars, it’s because it’s superior? Does this mean when you buy Chinese sneakers, it’s also because it’s superior?

sandman’s got the truth of it here. The whole campaign may be entertaining (as is ball scratching), but to expect any significant impact is silly. I wonder how much press coverage I’d get in Portugal if I (or any other recent Chinese arrival) marched up in city hall and delivered a manifesto on possible improvements for Lisboa.

Naive, yes. Silly, no.

If nothing else, it’s healthy for us to know what we do want rather than only what we don’t want. So leaving aside the matter of the ultimate goal or impact of our conversation, how about some more ideas, just for the hell of it.

You’re right, naive is a better choice of word. I was also kicking around quixotic, but didn’t want to waste my time looking up the proper spelling. :slight_smile:

i read somewhere that the CIA actually has people on its payroll doing nothing but READING. YEss, reading all the magazines and books and novels to get IDEAS. Ideas that they can use or expound upon. Would it be too presumptious to believe that someone somewhere in the taiwanese govt actually READS???

i say, let the ball and butt scratching and the ideas continue to flow here. As detailed as possible, in the hope that someone somewhere who can make a difference will read about it and somehow somewhere put something similar in motion??

IDEAS are POWERFUL. They build nations. They have destroyed or built governments.

I think its a great idea for anyone who wants to make a difference to talk bout it here. This is like the proverbial cafe in Poland and other places where people meet in a ‘meeting of the mind’ kinda way. To use modern technology to have this meeting of the minds (amidst the usual assholes of course). :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

Along with the great minds comes the great assholes :slight_smile: But lets not let that deter us !!

i say Carry On Brother !! Let the mental juice flow (99pct of it will end up down the storm drain but…) and the ass scratching begin i say !!

cctang, if you are a citizen then your ideas will be more then welcome anywere in the world. You just have to be a citizen.

What about making open forums (even on internet, as most of people does use internet nowadays) to put people’s minds to work. Why only the governement has to have ideas? Simple ideas that can change a bit our life to the better can be born from anywhere. Why is the political class so closed in Taiwan? As I read somewhere, people here take politics as employment, so any chance for promotion or to destroy an enemy is embraced at full. But politicians here only work for themselves. That is the change that Taiwan needs. Taiwan needs politicians who walk on the streets, go on buses to work and eat on the cafeteria. If they can’t do this, then they are just putting themselves on a higher level that makes them look like assholes - and that is why, maybe, people are so disconnected from politicians but connected to parties.

For one, I want to be part of my community, but I find myself surrounded with people who don’t live as a community.

And for the politicians and the people who believe that foreigners are not qualified to have an oppinion, why don’t they go live in our towns for a while? We are just saving them time by sharing our experience. If all we get is their indiference, than, what the heck, that is what they will get from the foreigner community. I am shure that even AT had and still has a lot of problems with this, because they want to be foreign citizens in Taiwan.

[quote=“mr_boogie”]cctang, if you are a citizen then your ideas will be more then welcome anywere in the world. You just have to be a citizen.

What about making open forums (even on internet, as most of people does use internet nowadays) to put people’s minds to work. Why only the governement has to have ideas? Simple ideas that can change a bit our life to the better can be born from anywhere. Why is the political class so closed in Taiwan? As I read somewhere, people here take politics as employment, so any chance for promotion or to destroy an enemy is embraced at full. But politicians here only work for themselves. That is the change that Taiwan needs. Taiwan needs politicians who walk on the streets, go on buses to work and eat on the cafeteria. If they can’t do this, then they are just putting themselves on a higher level that makes them look like assholes - and that is why, maybe, people are so disconnected from politicians but connected to parties.

For one, I want to be part of my community, but I find myself surrounded with people who don’t live as a community.

And for the politicians and the people who believe that foreigners are not qualified to have an oppinion, why don’t they go live in our towns for a while? We are just saving them time by sharing our experience. If all we get is their indiference, than, what the heck, that is what they will get from the foreigner community. I am shure that even AT had and still has a lot of problems with this, because they want to be foreign citizens in Taiwan.[/quote]

i believe that cc tang is a citizen of the PRC and lives in the PRC. But he has a healthy interest in things taiwanese and is to be commended for that. I actually want to say that one should not have to be a citizen to participate in discussions. If i have an interest in say Rome as a city and Italy as a country and i have something to say bout it, although im not a citizen, i should have every right to do so.
But of course i see what you are saying. BAsically have a vested interest in something so that you are not just talking out of your asshole :slight_smile: (ie speaking without knowing what the F you are on about)

I do not think that the Taiwanese feel they are a superior race and are not embracing of things ‘foreign’. I do think that Taiwan is more open to ‘foreign’ ideas then a lot of countries. Yes they may bitch and moan (and the taiwanese are UBER bitchers and moaners), but they ARE paying attention!! And yes, basically they would rather invent the square wheel then just take the round wheel used by others (successfully too). But i guaranteee they have noted what you said. Eventually somebody will incorporate that idea into a Taiwan idea :slight_smile: (just steal it and disguise it under a different form??)

tommy, my citizenship idea is different, as it involves active participation in the local community. It is a more direct taking of the word. Anyone can be involved in local communities, even if they are foreigners with no political power. That is the difference between my citizenship and the normal concept. Involvement.

IC, you are talking about the power of the VOTE. LIke they do here in CAlifornia. Where we have a lot of Proposition such and such , and we vote YAY or NAY to , along with voting for state assemblymen, senators and the president,VP , etc etc etc.

That sounds like a great concept when you’re the foreigner trying to get involved in Taiwanese politics.

I still rather doubt you’ll be surprised if I, having lived in Lisboa for a few months, acted as a “citizen” (even while on a tourist/working visa) and began to petition the city government for policy changes. I don’t mean to say that anyone will attempt to stop me from being involved; I’m reasonably sure I’ll just be ignored.

But that said, why’re we still talking about the “wisdom” of this? Let’s just accept this is a meaningless ,but entertaining exercise. Not living in Taipei, I for one find it interesting to hear about the every-day problems that you folks are seeing.

Mr. Boogie, I like your attitude- you don’t want to just talk talk talk- you want to do. You want to contribute. Back in the late 80s when I was in Taipei, the foreign community got together with the local people and put on ‘Give a Day to Taipei’. They got the support of a lot of public schools that went and cleaned parks- that sort of thing. It was something- at least an example of what could be done. Any old timers remember it?

Would it be possible to attack quality of life issues from a private sector perspective instead of a public sector one? If I am a landlord and you come to me pitching how you can do such and such to beautify my property so that I can attract richer tenants and charge more rent, I might be willing to listen. If a company establishes a reputation by doing some cheaper, less complicated work for free, it could build up from there. It could have snob appeal even, by advertising that ‘these are the latest techniques used in the best European cities’ or whatever. If you go in as a consulting firm and say to the transportation authorities, 'I can increase your revenues/ridership(people will drive less) by making the system more efficient/pleasant and I’m willing to do this on a small scale for such and such cheap fee and I have such and such fancy credentials, maybe someone in authority would try it on a small, low risk scale.

People can accept your getting in their face because you want to make money off them- that is a motivation they can understand. But they might not take to your getting in their face because you need to help them out of their backwardness. So- get togethter and start a company! Now wasn’t that simple??!! :noway:

Yep, well said. Completely agree.

ok- now help someone start a company Mr. Rich Businessdude.

Companies aren’t civic minded. It wouldn’t work in the long run.