Taipei City councilors on Tuesday proposed additional subsidies to encourage the demolition and reconstruction of buildings in the city made using concrete that contains sea sand.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
The use of sea sand in construction “will accelerate rebar corrosion and result in flaking of the concrete in blocks, severely damaging the building’s structure” in the long term, the city government’s Web site says.
The city currently offers a subsidy of NT$200,000 per household within a building, toward the cost of demolishing structurally unsound buildings.
If passed, the proposal would add an additional subsidy of NT$600,000 per household toward the cost of structural-safety appraisals, which could be implemented as soon as next month using an NT$6 million special budget, Department of Urban Development head Wang Yu-fen (王玉芬) said during Tuesday’s city council meeting.
The subsidies would also be included in the city’s annual budget starting next year, if passed, she said.
Chinese Nationalist Party Taipei City Councilor Wang Chih-bin (汪志冰) proposed the appraisal subsidy, saying it would encourage those living in high-risk buildings to take action to protect their safety.
There are currently 96 buildings in the city that were built using concrete containing sea sand, she said, adding that many buildings go unappraised due to the high costs involved, and the lack of consensus on appraisal and reconstruction among building residents.
A large contributor toward that lack of consensus is that many older buildings lack a management office, and residents must share the cost of building appraisals between themselves, Independent Taipei City Councilor Chen Cheng-chung (陳政忠) said.
Chen also suggested that the budget for the appraisal subsidy should be doubled to NT$12 million starting next year.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS