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Exhibit spotlights urban change

An ongoing exhibition at the Taipei World Trade Center highlights new images of Tokyo and Seoul, both of which have devoted strenuous efforts to urban redevelopment in recent years.

The exhibition is being held in connection with the just concluded Fifth Plenary Meeting of the Asian Network of Major Cities 21 (ANMC21) hosted by the Taipei City Government.

The Cheonggyecheon Restoration Project, which was completed last September, revitalized downtown Seoul, transforming an area of concrete and elevated highways into a leading tourist attraction.

Akihabara

In Tokyo's Akihabara district, the birth of the "Akihabara Crossfield" complex aimed at expanding the famous electronic goods district to an "IT [Information Technology] hub." The complex opened last month.

The ancient Cheonggyecheon stream was paved over in the 1960s to resolve road problems and an elevated highway was constructed on top of the road later. However, it started to pose safety and environment concerns for the city.

Led by Seoul Mayor Lee Myung-bak, who launched a "Vision Seoul 2006" initiative, the city of Seoul spent 386.7 billion South Korea won (US$400 million) and 27 months to complete the successful project, which has gotten mentions in the international media.

Akihabara Crossfield project also tried to give an old district a "makeover."

As part of "Tokyo Plan 2000," the Tokyo Metropolitan Government released Urban Development Guidelines for the Akihabara Area in 2001, highlighting its intent "to create a global center for the IT industry."

The complex consists of two highrise buildings: the Akihabara Daibiru Building and Akihabara UDX. The area is expected to become a new focal point for the Akihabara district, featuring IT industry-academic collaboration and attractions for visitors.

Taipei's west side

Taipei City, which is hosting the Fifth Plenary Meeting of the ANMC21, has also undertaken urban redevelopment projects.

It has proposed the concept of "Reverse the axis of development, redevelop the western district," which seeks to revitalize the city's west side -- the earliest developed area of Taipei.

The estimated budget for urban redevelopment projects in Taipei City this year is NT$40 billion (US$1.2 billion).
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