Impressed by the layout of La Defense during a tour of the Parisian district, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) on Saturday said she expected her port city to learn from it in carrying out a new bay area development project.
Kaohsiung’s Asia New Bay Area should have integrated paths allowing pedestrians and cars to travel separately, as is the case in La Defense, to create a premium city brand, Chen said.
Paris was the second of two cities Chen visited during a 10-day trip to France that began on Tuesday last week and was aimed at learning about urban construction and development.
She earlier visited Marseille, the second-largest city in France.
During her stay in Paris, Chen also said she would ask the central government to designate the planned Asia New Bay Area as a “national construction” project so that publicly and privately owned land within the 590 hectare area could be efficiently integrated.
The government can also help attract private investment to accelerate implementation of the project, Chen said.
The NT$30 billion (US$921.38 million) project is planned as an integrated urban port district adjacent to downtown Kaohsiung.
It is to feature five major elements: a ringlike light-rail transport system, a conference/exhibition center, a marine culture and pop music center, a public library, and a port and cruise services center.
Launched in 2013, the project is about to enter its second phase of construction, which is to focus on land integration and redevelopment, Chen said.
Like La Defense, Kaohsiung’s waterfront has gone through tough times, with abandoned factories and commercial facilities scattered around the area, she added.
After private investment was drawn into the area as part of an urban renewal program, businesses flocked to the area, which now attracts nearly 9 million tourists each year, Chen said.
La Defense, a major business district in the Ile-de-France region, is located at the westernmost extremity of the 10km-long Historical Axis of Paris, which starts at the Louvre in central Paris.
Covering 564 hectares of land, La Defense was originally home to factories, slums and farming fields before being developed in the late 1950s.
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