The Legislative Yuan on Tuesday approved an amendment requiring owners of older residential buildings that are prone to catching fire to establish safety management committees. Owners would face fines of up to NT$200,000 for not forming such a committee before a set deadline.
The issue was brought to the attention of lawmakers after a fire in Kaohsiung in October last year resulted in 46 deaths.
All older residential buildings, not just those that are fire-prone, should be a priority for legislators. More than 4.4 million buildings across the nation were built more than three decades ago, Ministry of the Interior data show, and these structures are also vulnerable to earthquake damage.
The majority of the buildings in Taipei and New Taipei City were built before the current building code, and this is a problem as Taiwan experiences an average of 2,200 earthquakes per year — or about 39 quakes per week. This is because there are 36 active tectonic faults across the nation, and although the majority of these quakes are tiny, there are occasional large ones that cause structural damage.
The government has committed to urban renewal, but domestic banks raised interest rates on such projects, despite the central bank sparing such projects from credit controls, the Taipei Times reported on April 7. Construction costs have more than doubled over the past three years, and capitalization requirements for domestic lenders introduced by the Financial Supervisory Commission are adding to profitability pressure on renewal projects. This shows that the government is not doing enough to subsidize urban renewal, seemingly leaving such projects to market forces.
Concrete apartment buildings typically have a safety lifespan of between 50 and 100 years, depending on the materials used and the quality of the building’s maintenance. Many buildings in Taiwan are reaching that lifespan, and their replacement should be considered a pressing issue. A magnitude 6.4 earthquake in Tainan in 2016 caused the collapse of the Weiguan Jinlong residential building, resulting in 115 deaths. Although it was discovered that improper construction materials were used, similar collapses could occur in older concrete buildings that lack sufficient steel reinforcement.
The prevalence of old buildings in Taiwan exacerbates the already concerning housing crisis in which speculation pushes young buyers out of the new-building market. Many people in Taiwan live with their parents until their 40s, saving for decades before they can even consider the possibility of owning a home, and even then might be forced to purchase older, unsafe property.
Fire is also a safety concern for older residential areas due to building density, the use of flammable materials in construction, and insufficient or blocked fire-escape routes. Access to many older buildings in Taipei and New Taipei City is through narrow alleys, and while these alleyways have their charm, they could spell disaster in the event of a fire or earthquake when dozens of people are trying to flee to safety. Many older buildings also have illegal additions that worsen this density problem, such as balconies that could block rescue ladders, or add-ons built on the side of ground-level units that further narrow access routes.
The two biggest obstacles to making progress with urban renewal projects are costs and the need for resident consensus before a structure can be renovated. Lawmakers should pass amendments that provide greater subsidies to such projects, subsidize temporary housing for residents during reconstruction, and allow reconstruction work to proceed with a majority approval rather than a 100 percent consensus.
Urban renewal is exceedingly important to ensure the safety of all residents in Taiwan. It should be handled like a national security issue, and not one of profit for developers and investors.
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