Spatial Strategic Planning and Urban Planning Principles (Under construction)

1. Short-term:

Demolish most of the buildings in the factory district and evolve it into a green space. In the interim hold different activities to motivate residents to observe the changes in the urban space.

2. Long-term:

a.Outside the site:

1. Consider the amount of open space accessible to the people here.

2. Allow the structure of the entire spatial system (such as the bicycles, the setback of streets, the green belt) to bring connective spaces and activities.

b. Inside the site:

1. Designate future developments, making suggestions based on the proportion and location of the remaining open spaces.

2. Designate ideal division of urban land use and establish its building coverage ratio and floor area ratio.

3. Propose UDG urban design principles that show Nangang characteristics.

Planning content (under construction)

1. After a series of research and analysis, we allow the residents to experience the process firsthand. Through short-term projects, we enlighten the residents to think about the city - that it is not all just about “additional development”. The main goal is to let the government slow down and think, to look forward to better planning or orientation.

2. In this process of reduction, we thought about the role of the site, which is mobile and allowing short-term rest/stay. This allows the community residents to feel the dynamic and the openness of the site, allow designers to think about their designs, and allow visitors to receive clear messages and etc., a place which allows infinite imagination.

Consensus, Vision

After organizing the surrounding development of Nangang bottle cap factory and collecting the opinions of government officials, residents and community planners, our planning team proposed “Petri dish” as the future vision for bottle cap factory.

“Petri dish” concept: Through the role of the bottle cap factory as the Petri dish, cultivate the interflow of diverse tangible and intangible elements and provide an open platform for [URS-Urban Regeneration station]. Allow different cultures to enter, and use people as the main theme to include the 3 parts listed below:

1. Activate Industry Compared to the infiltration of these emerging industries, how can Nangang find its unique characteristic/allure? We can increase the diversity of the industries and use cultural industries as the foundation to allow the entire space to exude unlimited creativity.

2. Connect with creative industry’s service platform The creative industry should have world vision, but also be able to integrate with the city and community. It should include “internal” upgrade of living quality and characteristic and “external” visibility to the world and tourism, in order to create an integrated service space.

3. Recreational space The open recreational space can be a transitional space to adjust the surrounding developments to the region, these can include:

a. Memorial:To preserve the unique historical memory of the bottle cap factory district.

b. Commercial:The urgent task is to enhance service for the residents, and the direction is to provide comfort and convenience.

c. Cultural:The exhibition/performance/entertainment of culture-related activities to revive the surrounding developments.

d. Social: To create not only an activity space for the community but also a public sphere for the residents.

SWOT Analysis

1. Superiority (S):
a. Transportation: it is one of the rare sites with a station that combines the 3 transits of Taiwan.
b.The five major constructions make Nangang unique from other districts.
c. Nangang is to become a window of Taipei to the world and should be a good city visibly.

2. Weakness (W):
a. Nangang district’s development lacks holistic urban planning, resulting in ineffective connection of landscape to usage.
b.There is a huge gap between the old and new districts in Nangang, lacking transitional and interactive spaces.
c. High-density spatial development, oppression of the environment and lack of foundational facilities decreased the living quality of the residents.

3. Opportunity (O):
a. Nangang breaks away from the dark village image and seeks to find local characteristics to create effective spatial connections.
b.The bottle cap factory is in an intermediary location. It can be a bridge to allow interflow of old/new and low/high density spaces.

4. Threats (T):
a. Future large-scale developments can create large population inflow, creating substantial influence.
b. Large amount of emerging industries with few service industries still cannot keep people here.
c. Local collective memory and cultural identity face threats of industrialization and globalization.

Interview 2010.04.26Nangang Interview 1

Interview Synopsis:

Coordinate with [URS-Urban Regeneration station] started in 2000 by Department of Urban Development for Taipei City Government. Through symposiums collect the opinions of Nangang local residents, enterprises and community in regard to the bottle cap factory. Allow Nangang district to have more diverse development and use.

Interview Result:

a. Predevelopment:
(1)Bottle cap factory should clearly define land use categories for future sustainable developments.
(2)The planning of the land freed by bottle cap factory should contribute to the community.

b. Future development of the bottle cap factory
(1)The node of the cultural creative city
(2)Integrate local characteristics: tea and sweet osmanthus
(3)The transitional bottle cap factory should coordinate with its future plan and prepare for its transition to international center or cultural center.
(4)Nangang area is hoped to have more commerce activities to drive the local economy and prosperity. The bottle cap factory is hoped to be used as a commercial district.

2. The future of Nangang:

a.Further discuss Nangang district’s development from east to west and also the linkage between the activities of different districts.

b.Commerce park, central research institute, and Nangang living spaces should create tri-regional economic prosperity and increase ease of traffic flow.

c.In the future the development of international or cultural centers can attract tourism with interesting theme spaces to drive Nangang local developments.

d.Nangang Software Park and the existing Nangang industrial and newly developed areas should coordinate and work with each other.

Interview2010.05.03Nangang Interview 2

Interview Synopsis:
This interview was for the schools to discuss the future development of bottle cap factory land lot from educator’s point of view.

Interview Result:

1、Schools lack activity center and hope this site in the future can be an activity space for the schools and the residents.

2、Nangang has many cars. The current land use does not accumulate people. In the future it is hoped that the site can become a public space for gathering people.

3、There is no recreational space along Nangang Road. Hopefully there can be open space or sports park.

Interview2010.05.29Nangang Interview 3

Interview Synopsis:

This interview was for the community planners, to discuss the future development of bottle cap factory land lot from planner’s point of view.

Interview Result:

1、 Allow the development to have connection with surrounding planning and create the concept of a district.

2、 There are 3 parts of preservation: time period, architectural method and historical significance. Historical significance is most valuable. However, Nangang bottle cap factory should focus on future use/development of the site and not just simply preserve the existing building.