Taipei Is on Its Way to Becoming a Garden City

TAIPEI, Taiwan-(Business Wire)-August 24, 2009 - Walking the streets of Taipei City, many pedestrians may have noticed a refreshing change: a touch of green is being added to homes and public facilities.

Walls, roofs and balconies are being turned into kaleidoscopic galleries for living plants in the run-up to the 2010 Taipei International Gardening and Horticulture Exposition — the first accredited world-class exhibition ever held by Taiwan.

The greenery that will soon radiate from the 91.8-hectare exhibition area — comprised of four public parks near the Keelung River — is gradually extending to schools, commercial areas, markets, office buildings, and communities around the city.

Forming the backbone of this ambitious beautification initiative are 50 neighborhood greening projects that were completed in 2008, the first year of the plan.

With the public's interest in the campaign increasing, the city government has received 300 more requests for green renovation projects since the start of this year, according to the city's Department of Economic Development.

"The news spread fast: spots that used to be the ugliest in each neighborhood have become the most beautiful. Now applications are flooding in from almost every borough," said Chen Hsiung-wen, commissioner of the department.

Once an application is approved, specialized landscaping engineers contracted by the city are assigned to carry out the project at the selected site. Also, garden accessories and ornamental plants are offered to households for display on their balconies.

The city government foots the bill for these services on one condition: that the participating neighborhoods form a volunteer team to care for the plants.

Although part of the motivation of the greening campaign is to promote the horticulture exposition, its more far-reaching mission is to increase citizen involvement in environmental landscaping and eventually transform Taipei into a permanent "garden city," Chen said.

He explained that through the campaign, the city government is trying to instill an appreciation for plants among residents, further encouraging them to grow and cherish flowers.

"The exhibition should not be like a fireworks display that leaves nothing behind after its conclusion," Chen said. "It would be the expo's greatest legacy if appreciating and growing flowers was to become a common culture or habit." Among the most successful projects completed so far is the Jiantan community center, which was converted from an abandoned, dilapidated property.

The dull building received an impressive facelift last year when flowers and grass were grown on its rooftop and potted plants were mosaicked on two 10-meter tall sidewalls to turn them into magnificent vertical gardens.

According to Jiantan borough chief Pi Wu-liang, the renovated building has now become a model for other neighborhoods, and many residents within the borough are also seeking his assistance to have their homes undergo a similar renovation.

He said the popularity of the greening projects is partly due to the use of landscape technology that does not damage the structure of buildings. The vegetation's cooling effect, which helps reduce energy consumption, is another factor.

"The green walls bring the building's indoor temperature down by at least 3 degrees Celcius," Pi said.

"In the past, the indoor temperature did not come down even with the air-conditioner on. But almost no air-conditioning is required now, and it gets cool very quickly after the air conditioning is switched on," he explained.

In instilling an appreciation for plants and their benefit to the environment, the city government believes the campaign will provide a boost to the horticulture expo.

Chen said the greening projects will create a connection between the exhibition and the city's residents, grabbing their attention and encouraging their participation.

To get the maximum impact, the city hopes that at least one project similar to the Jiantan community center is completed in each of the city's 449 boroughs by the time the expo opens on Nov. 6, 2010.

Chen estimated that the event, which is scheduled to run six months until April 25, 2011, will generate NT$12 billion (US$365.85 million) in overall economic benefits, including at least NT$1.8 billion in revenue for local floricultural vendors.

With Taipei already the largest domestic market for locally grown flowers, the greening movement is expected to further increase sales of related products in the city and in turn boost the country's floricutlure sector, he said.

"Our greatest hope is to see the exhibition bring a change to the city's culture, its residents' lifestyles and even the city's landscape," Chen said.

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