Taipei City places premium on urban aesthetics

2016/02/26

Enhancing the look and feel of Taipei’s designed urban environment is a top priority for the local government as it transforms the city into one of the world’s most aesthetically pleasing metropolises.

An initiative capturing headlines is the demolition earlier this month of the concrete overpass to Zhongxiao Bridge and consequent uncovering of the city’s historic North Gate.

Constructed more than 130 years ago, Beimen has been effectively hidden for 39 years, robbing Taipei of a cultural asset and denying tourists the opportunity to see the city’s sole surviving gate from the Qing dynasty (1644-1911).

The beauty of the landmark is in stark contrast to unsightly advertising signs adorning the western part of Taipei. This had led to calls from urban planners and the public for the local government to pay more attention to aetheticizing the city center.

According to the Taipei City Government Department of Culture, efforts are underway to address the issue. These include projects assisting merchants designing less obtrusive retail signage, as well as adorning over 9,000 electricity boxes with eye-catching murals.

But Agua Chou, head of locally based consultancy Agua Design, believes the public can accomplish more when it comes to enhancing Taipei’s appeal.

“The problem with Taiwan’s billboards, which are mostly rectangular plastic boxes, is not their dull appearance but lack of personality,” she said. “Their color selections also leave a lot to be desired as they take no consideration of the surrounding environment.”

Chou is an expert on the matter. In 2013, her firm implemented a DOC-commissioned store sign design project that struck a chord with retailers and members of the public alike.

Citing garish, oversized store signs as an example, Chou said such displays are eyesores and trample the public’s right to pleasant views.

“But this does not mean signage must be standardized to create more orderly street scenes,” she said. “It is important to encourage community dialogue and reach consensus on the relationship between signage and the neighborhood.”

Echoing Chou’s remarks, Wu Szu-ju, CEO of Taipei-headquartered art consulting firm Union Vision, said urban environment issues show the value of forging a win-win relationship between merchants and the public.

In 2014, the art consulting firm carried out a DOC-commissioned mural project involving 28 transformer boxes in historic Dalongdong in Datong District. The lively artwork captured the spirit of the area’s vibrant traditional Chinese religious heritage.

“Aesthetics is a highly subjective matter, and laws and regulations offer little help in this regard,” Wu said. “But by stressing the need for pleasing designs and regular maintenance work will make a difference in reshaping the appearance of Taipei’s streets.”

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=242505&ctNode=2194&mp=9)