Planning for a home for people and the environment in Taipei

Taipei has become a more recognizable city but knowledge about planning in the city has been quite limited internationally. This research project uses two case examples of planning in Taipei – the protected to residential re-zone case and the efforts of urban renewal, to probe into conflicts of interest in land-use and to find out the limitations of planning processes. In addition to secondary data such as books, articles, meeting minutes and published/unpublished government documents, semi-structured interviews were conducted. Along the way, I found that the municipal government has placed little value on nature; nor has it planned much with the general public’s benefits in mind. Instead, corporate elitism and political manipulation have limited planning and what it was mandated to do. Finally, I suggest that planners, politicians, decision makers and residents in Taipei deeply reflect on the city’s current condition and collaborate to find a fundamentally different alternative.