On the morning of December 25, Taoyuan City Mayor Chang San-Cheng visited the Hutoushan Innovation Hub to attend the “First Anniversary of Inauguration and Governance Achievements Press Conference”. Mayor Chang stated that governance should not only be profound but also far-sighted. Today’s press conference aims to showcase the future of Taoyuan and to help citizens understand the relationship between Taoyuan’s past governance and its future vision. Mayor Chang explained that the city government plans to shape the future of Taoyuan with four major visions: Easy Commuting, Good Job Opportunities, Excellent Education, and Quality Living. These are the four driving forces behind creating a livable Taoyuan. The city government will focus on six key areas: industry, transportation, construction, sustainability, intelligence, and tourism culture, with the hope of providing citizens a quality and enjoyable living environment in all aspects, and transforming Taoyuan into a comprehensive international city.
Mayor Chang emphasized that the term of a mayor is limited, and responsible leaders must build a good stage with a long-term vision of 10 to 20 years, attracting excellent talents to contribute to Taoyuan. Over the past year, the city government has been laying the groundwork, hoping to engage more outstanding talents in municipal governance and to ensure the long-term development and impact of policies. He expressed that the governance blueprint he proposed will be so compelling that future administrations, regardless of who is in charge, will be reluctant to abandon it.
Mayor Chang expressed his deep gratitude for the support of the citizens, referring to recent polls by various media outlets showing over 70% satisfaction with the Taoyuan City Government team. He mentioned that the city government has worked hard over the past year, hoping to gain the recognition of the citizens. The high satisfaction scores, he believes, indicate that the citizens are indeed feeling the impact of their efforts. Mayor Chang also emphasized that good policies should aim for long-term development and impact, not just superficial attractiveness.
Mayor Chang pointed out that a decade ago, Taoyuan’s population was 2.04 million. In the past ten years, it has increased by 270,000. Every day, 2.7 million people commute within the city, and 500,000 people commute between districts. Taoyuan has the highest number of factories among the six special municipalities in Taiwan, with 12,000 factories. In the past decade, the number of motor vehicles has grown by 340,000, the fastest rate among the six special municipalities. In addition, Taoyuan has the highest crude birth rate of 7.71‰ among these special municipalities. These impressive fundamentals mean that Taoyuan is a city poised for growth, but it also faces the growing pains that come with such rapid development.
Mayor Chang explained that Taoyuan’s public transportation system currently only includes the Airport MRT Line, and the city lacks dense public bus routes and expressways built by the city government. Additionally, there is a need to enhance the intelligence and diversification of industries. These are the challenges Taoyuan faces in its quest to become an international city. Therefore, the city government is focusing on six key areas in its administration, aiming to transform Taoyuan into a distinctive city.
Mayor Chang discussed that in addition to improving transportation, one of the six key policy focus areas includes “Asian Silicon Valley” as a future development goal for Taoyuan, emphasizing the need for greater industry diversification. He also mentioned the necessity to continuously strengthen infrastructure such as the city’s hospitals and sewage systems; promote green industries; integrate smart technology into governance, public welfare, and education; and highlight Taoyuan’s natural beauty and diverse cultural heritage in tourism. Under these six main themes, the goal is to ensure a comfortable living environment for citizens and to nurture the most competitive next generation.
Regarding Taoyuan’s future vision, Mayor Chang mentioned that in the “Easy Commuting”, public transportation is an important foundation for Taoyuan’s future. The city government plans to enhance the human-centered transportation network with green vehicles and Transit-Oriented Development (TOD), including the ongoing construction of the Metro Green Line and the undergrounding of the Taoyuan Railway. In addition, efforts are being made to obtain approval from the Executive Yuan for several other metro lines, with plans to continue expanding the metro network. Taoyuan also needs inter-regional transportation links. The city government has planned to construct five new expressways, including the City Center Expressway, XinMeiLong, Huan Cheng West Road, TaoBei, and BanLong, along with several major roads, in hopes of developing a more comprehensive regional transportation network in Taoyuan.
Mayor Chang shared that in his first year in office, the city government implemented the Left-Turn Traffic Flow Improvement Plan, using a low budget, intelligence, and creativity to alleviate traffic congestion. This initiative resulted in an average reduction in traffic delay time by one-sixth, with a reduction of about 9 seconds at 10 major intersections. In 2023, Taoyuan also completed the design of 100 left-turn intersections, of which over 80% have already been improved. Other achievements in traffic improvement include the TPASS commuter monthly pass, the opening of the A22 Laojie River metro station, the first 60 minutes of free YouBike, the launch of YouBike 2.0, and the introduction of YouBike 2.0E electric-assist bicycles scheduled for February next year.
In the “Good Job Opportunities”, Mayor Chang pointed out that Taoyuan’s industry is overly dependent on traditional manufacturing, with insufficient levels of smart and diversified development. The city government, following the Executive Yuan’s six core strategic industries, plans to promote various sectors in different areas of Taoyuan, including international logistics, aviation, circular economy, green energy, smart electric vehicles, space satellites, the Asian Silicon Valley, semiconductors, and national defense. The city is also creating a high-quality environment for young entrepreneurs, hoping to enable entrepreneurial teams to excel in areas such as the Metaverse. Efforts are also being made to support the employment of new residents, industry-academic collaboration, and the testing of 3D safety nets on construction sites. In addition, the city government recently announced a groundbreaking “train-to-employment” program for bus drivers, the first of its kind in the country. Next year, a Smart Manufacturing Service Center will be established in 2024. From innovative recruitment strategies to industry transformation, comprehensive plans are in place to lay a solid foundation for a high-quality work environment in Taoyuan.
In the “Excellent Education”, Mayor Chang discussed the development of school campuses, including both hardware and software. On the hardware, many schools are currently facing challenges with overall capacity limits. The city government is continuously striving to promote the expansion of existing schools or the establishment of new ones. Additionally, the Taoyuan Children’s Art Center (QingPu) is scheduled to open soon. The city is also continually improving the construction of school walkways, and a smart technology library is expected to start construction in QingPu next year.
On the software, the city government launched summer camps focusing on science education, ethics, aesthetics, bilingual and language education in this summer, aiming to supplement areas not fully covered by the curriculum. Next year, there are plans to promote after-school science education in remote areas using methods such as distance learning. The goal is to enhance the competitiveness of the next generation through a combination of both hardware and software improvements. Additionally, the city has introduced policies such as free nutritious lunches for elementary and junior high school students, year-round employment for substitute teachers, and educational grants for five-year-old children.
In the “Quality Living”, Mayor Chang noted that the underground railway corridor will be transformed into an approximately 16-kilometer-long urban greenway, which is expected to become a highlight and drive urban transformation. The city government also plans to develop the coastline into the “Pearl Coast Corridor”. The forests in Taoyuan are also quite beautiful, and the city will open the Dalongmen Corridor and a Forest Experience Corridor. While developing and organizing tourism resources, there may be challenges related to land use, especially in areas like Xinwu and Guanyin. The city government plans to gradually relax the usage regulations to align them with the future vision for tourism, and will continue to seek support from the central government for the establishment of the Beiheng (Northern Cross-Island Highway) National Scenic Area.
Mayor Chang summarized that in the first year of his term, the city government team has completed over 150 major and minor policies, laying a high-quality foundation for the future, and receiving widespread feedback. These include the upcoming unveiling of the Department of Women and Children Development and the expansion of the lung cancer screening program. Next year, at least 179 policies will be launched, and he believes that the citizens also identify deeply with them. Mayor Chang emphasized that to become an international city, future efforts must include spatial transformation, improving the transportation network, diversifying industrial structures, keeping up with international trends toward net-zero carbon emissions, and developing Taoyuan’s tourism ecological green corridor. Taoyuan is ready for this progress.
Mayor Chang also said that in the future, the city government will place a special emphasis on human-centered transportation, including the installation of school walkways, pedestrian crossings, and bicycle lanes. In terms of large-scale construction, efforts will be made to promote projects such as underground sewage systems, municipal parks, and city hospitals. Moreover, digital development is the foundation that supports the creation of a smart city. The city government plans to capitalize on tourism resources and embrace cultural diversity, making Taoyuan an important hub for international connections. By enhancing the city’s internal connectivity, Taoyuan aims to become a globally connected city of technological intelligence and happiness.