Learn from Taiwan

- How to create more vibrant, resilient, and sustainable cities

This summer I went to Taipei, Taiwan and saw that there were lots of interesting old buildings and new stylish eco-friendly buildings. For example, I went to Dihua street, Taipei’s oldest street which was built in the 1850s. There were lots of small shops in the 

buildings and people are still living in the old buildings. Another interesting place was an old cigarette factory that was repaired and turned into a place where young local artists can sell their art and do workshops. That factory is almost 90 years old and kept the original style! This building is actually sustainable because they have repaired and used it for a long time! There are also new/tall buildings near the old ones that are sustainable too!

One example of  an eco-friendly building is Taipei 101. Taipei 101 is located in Taipei and it is actually the 11th tallest building in the world! Taipei 101 conserves water by rainwater harvesting and low-flow plumbing fixtures. Doing that, Taipei 101 saves up to 28,000,000 liters of water every year. Another smart building that surprised me was Tao Zhu Yin Yuan, which is a residential complex covered in 23,000 trees and shrubs. The plants will absorb 130 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year! It made me want to research what else Taiwan is doing.

One of Taiwan’s goals is to improve resilient, smart cities, which projects such as urban regeneration. They also follow SDGs, (Sustainable Development Goals) SDGs are 17 rules of how to be sustainable. The 11 rule is for sustainable cities and communities, which is what Taiwan is doing.

What is a resilient smart city? A resilient smart city is a city that has the ability to absorb, recover, and prepare for future economic, environmental, and institutional shocks.

Taiwan’s government even set a goal to have better exterior designs and higher efficiency in buildings. By 2030, all new public buildings will be required to achieve energy efficiency class 1( the highest standard) which requires near zero emissions. Additionally, by 2040, 50 percent of existing buildings, including both commercial and residential, must be upgraded. By 2050, the goal is for all new buildings and over 85 percent of existing ones to meet or nearly meet zero emission standards.

What Taiwan is doing is also similar to Singapore, which is creating new and eco-friendly buildings too. Singapore grows lots of plants on buildings, which is called a green building, and it is a way to improve indoor ventilation and air quality.It amazes me how much Taiwanese people, including the government, respects and help preserve the old buildings and are eager to build smart buildings at the same time to improve the country.  

We can learn so many good resilient smart city ideas from other countries. I am hoping someday, Los Angeles, where I live, will become known as a smart city and can become a role model for other states and countries.