Imagination and practice of collaborative landscape, ecological, and cultural planning in Taiwan: The case of Taichung County and Changhua County

Abstract

“Landscape” is an issue normally neglected in the field of urban and regional development in Taiwan. However, an urban development policy, entitled Urban-rural Landscape Improvement Movement, was officially launched by the central government of Taiwan in 1999 to improve environmental quality and establish liveable human settlements. Based on the successful Community Empowerment Movement, Urban-rural Landscape Improvement Movement is intended to demonstrate positive integration among natural ecological preservation, local cultural uniqueness, and rapid urban development. With endeavors to enact and implement Landscape Law and Landscape Master Plan at the local government level, such an intention to link landscape, ecological, and cultural urbanism with urban development is gradually becoming possible. This chapter demonstrates a 2-year endeavor to implement Landscape Master Plan and Townscape Renaissance Project in Changhua County and Taichung County, which are located in the central region of Taiwan. It first depicts the course and content of Urban-rural Landscape Improvement Movement and reveals policy planning deliberation set by the central government. The interrelationship among landscape consultants, Landscape Master Plan, and the basic government level/grassroots organizations constructs a comprehensive mechanism to execute the movement. Second, it describes the process of Townscape Renaissance Project at the local government level and places great emphasis on the institutional horizontal integration between counties. Third, it further explores the cross-county collaboration and cooperation. A joint, collaborative project, entitled Green Station Greenway, is now subsidized by the central government and endeavors to promote sustainable development in urban-rural planning at the regional level. The Green Station Greenway project is intended to turn the historic areas or traditional districts of towns and cities along with Taiwan Railway routes into more sustainable and ecological environments.