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EDITORIAL : New does
not always mean beautiful
The Wenlin Yuan urban renewal project gives us a clear insight into Taipei Mayor
Hau Lung-bin¡¦s (°qÀsÙy) vision for the city. The project will turn the site of 38
old houses in Taipei¡¦s Shilin District (¤hªL) into a high-rise apartment complex,
but it sparked a public outcry when the city last month razed the properties of
a family that had refused to consent to the project.
Many of Taipei¡¦s ongoing urban renewal projects have been subsidized by the city
government as part of its Taipei Beautiful program, which is aimed at improving
the city¡¦s landscape and aesthetics. Hau says that Taipei, although known and
liked for the friendliness of its residents and its tasty food, is an ugly city
with only sporadic urban planning and poorly designed buildings. According to
Hau, by demolishing more than 600 old or abandoned government-owned buildings
and encouraging additional private urban renewal projects, the program will
transform Taipei into a beautiful city.
Scrapping old buildings and replacing them with flashy, modern structures is
apparently the mayor¡¦s solution to making the city more attractive, but his
approach raises concern that the push to ¡§renew¡¨ the city will push aside the
distinguishing features and unique charms that make Taipei special, especially
given his administration¡¦s mixed track record on some projects that have already
been carried out.
Last year, the city government moved the Shilin Night Market from a temporary
site to an underground space below a new structure, turning it into a sanitized
space despite criticism that the food-court-like atmosphere would detract from
the market¡¦s charm. After transforming the Shilin Night Market into what it said
was a modernized night market with a ¡§clean and comfortable dining environment,¡¨
the Hau administration this year turned its attention to another popular tourist
attraction: The Shida Night Market, located in the maze of small alleys behind
National Taiwan Normal University. In response to local residents¡¦ complaints
about noise, garbage and air pollution from the market, the city government
launched a crackdown on illegal businesses operating there, forcing many
eateries and small shops out of the area.
The crackdown on the Shida market, the ¡§sanitized¡¨ Shilin market and all the
other urban redevelopment projects reflect Hau¡¦s vision of shaping Taipei into a
clean, organized city. There is nothing wrong with making Taipei clean,
well-organized and modern, but the true beauty and uniqueness of a city often
lies in the cracks, not in the shiny, new surfaces.
The city government¡¦s urban renewal and planning projects have so far failed to
reflect the city¡¦s history or preserve its unique features. Taipei, like many
other cities in Taiwan, is full of mixed residential and commercial areas, and
has a so-called ¡§alley culture,¡¨ with all kinds of eateries and shops hidden in
nooks and crannies. The decrepit buildings and food carts make Taipei chaotic
and messy, but the old buildings are riddled with traces of history and culture,
and the hustle and bustle of the markets crammed into the small alleys lends to
the unique charm and grit of the city.
As many cities around the world work to preserve their historic and cultural
assets, Taipei is working to destroy its old buildings and knock down private
houses to erect sanitized high-rise monoliths. If Hau and his administration
continue to play this zero-sum game with their urban renewal policies and pursue
the modernization of the city through demolitions rather than preservation,
Taipei will gradually lose its uniqueness and become a sterile place without any
distinguishing charm.
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