The Taipei City government has invested billions of dollars to construct environmentally-friendly buildings and has designed colorful flower-filled corners all over the city in preparation for an upcoming floral exposition, but a group of artists and architects expressed reservations about the overall environmental impact of the event.
City government officials have considered mainly pro-development policies instead of the big challenge of the future ? climate change, said Wu Ma-li (吳瑪俐), an assistant professor at National Kaohsiung Normal University's Graduate Institute of Interdisciplinary Art.
The budget for the Taipei International Flora Exposition, which will be held from Nov. 6 through April 25 next year, is more than NT$12.3 billion (US$388 million), she said.
Although government officials have been touting the new "green" buildings, many of their policies are not ideal for developing an eco-friendly city, Wu said at a forum in Taipei on Saturday.
The head of the Organization of Urban Re-s (OURs), a group devoted to city redesign, echoed Wu's views.
"While Taipei City Government officials are touting their "green" buildings, they have not considered the fact that the use of cement in the construction of the new buildingd greatly exceeds the carbon reduction," said Huang Jui-mao (黃瑞茂), chairman of the organization.
He also expressed concern that the spaces used for the event would be turned into building sites after the expo and urged Taipei residents to work together to create a more eco-friendly urban environment.
"The city government should not devote all of its efforts to promoting the event, but should use this opportunity to achieve long-term development of the city," Huang said.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
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At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
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