TAIPEI | Projects & Construction

[hkskyline]

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall transformation outline plan unveiled
Excerpt

Taipei, Sept. 8 (CNA) The Transitional Justice Commission on Wednesday announced the outline of a plan for the transformation of National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei, including a proposal that a bronze statue of Chiang be removed from the main building.

The plan aims to turn the site into a public park with "reflections on Taiwan's authoritarian history" as its main theme, according to Yeh Hung-ling (葉虹靈), acting chairwoman of the commission.

The plan also proposes the removal of a bronze statue of Chiang, the late president of the Republic of China (Taiwan), and renovations to eliminate authoritarian elements in the structure of the hall, Yeh said.

More : https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/202109080014

[hkskyline]

Memorial hall a mirror of Taipei’s values: commission
Sep 13, 2021
Taipei Times Excerpt

The way a nation utilizes the heart of its capital reflects its values, the Transitional Justice Commission said in its proposal for transforming Taipei’s Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, asking what message it sends if the person responsible for persecuting thousands is still commemorated just like he had been under authoritarian rule.

The commission on Wednesday last week announced initial plans for erasing traces of authoritarianism from the memorial hall, starting with its “axis of worship,” or the 6.3m-tall bronze statue of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) in the main building.

There are at least two main reasons for transforming the complex, the commission said.

More : https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/tai.../13/2003764290

[hkskyline]

Value of presale housing expected to soar in the fall
Sep 15, 2021
Taipei Times Excerpt

Presale housing projects are expected to soar 64.5 percent year-on-year to NT$269.03 billion (US$9.71 billion) in northern Taiwan in the autumn sales season from Sept. 28 through next month, as local cases of COVID-19 and social distancing rules prompted developers to push back launches, the Chinese-language My Housing Monthly said on Thursday last week.

The volume, which would be the largest in history, is projected because a level 3 COVID-19 alert from May to July virtually froze consumer activity, My Housing Monthly research manager Ho Shih-chang (何世昌) said.

...

Taipei and New Taipei City account for NT$84.7 billion, or 31.48 percent, with apartments featuring low entry requirements dominating the market in New Taipei City, the magazine said.

More : https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz.../15/2003764369

[hkskyline]

Porous sidewalks help cooling: study
Taipei Times Excerpt
Sep 20, 2021

Porous sidewalks installed in Taipei last year have been found to reduce surface temperatures by up to 3°C in addition to absorbing excessive runoff, researchers said on Thursday.

The Taipei City Government has been experimenting with new building materials since launching a “sponge city” initiative in 2015 to improve drainage and flood controls in the capital.

Seeking to reduce runoff along Zhongxiao E Road, which is prone to flooding, the city replaced its asphalt and concrete sidewalks with a more porous material.

To test the effectiveness of the renovation completed late last year, researchers from the National Taipei University of Technology’s Water Environment Research Center installed a sensor in front of Zhongxiao Xinsheng MRT Station Exit 4 to monitor how much water was absorbed by the pavement.

They discovered that the material was not only effective at reducing runoff, but also had a lower temperature than other types of pavement.

More : https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/tai.../20/2003764677

[colemonkee]

^ More cities need to do this, especially cities like Los Angels, where collecting that ground water will be more and more important moving forward.