TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei City’s Department of Urban Development last week reviewed a renovation project for Mengjia Park.
It cited Tokyo’s Omotesando, a tree-lined street that culminates at the Meiji Shrine, as inspiration for the project. In recent years, Mengjia Park has been populated by homeless people, per CNA.
A public bidding competition to renovate the park was held from 2021-2023. Borough chiefs, councilors, NGOs, and public departments were invited to participate.
The proposal includes retaining many of the corridors that surround Mengjia Park, but changing the roofing from a traditional arched roof design to a transparent material. One section, however, is scheduled for demolition near Heping West Road Section 3 to open up a central axis that will extend to Longshan Temple.
Current design of Wanhua's Mengjia Park. (Taipei City government image)
The review committee noted that transitioning to a translucent roofing material will not provide protection from the sun and could cause glare. To overcome this problem, the committee recommended adding more trees to provide shade.
The revitalization plan for Mengjia Park has been criticized for not solving the issue of homelessness. The new plans will be reviewed at a future date.
