Taichung Highlights the Importance of Developing Smart Cities Worldwide

MEXICO CITY, May 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- How can design achieve a positive change in urbanism in a city? According to Lin Chia-lung, Mayor of Taichung City (Taiwan), each city has its own characteristics, so it is essential to implement design to adapt to different types of life experiences and perspectives, and thus maximize the strengths of the city, from urban planning to landscaping.

Within the framework of World Design Capital Mexico City 2018 (WDC), Lin Chia-lung shared the experience of Taichung City as an innovator in design by introducing this thought into political and organizational measures to shape the spirit of its urban aesthetic, from large-scale construction to the individual urban experience that allows citizens to internalize and make beautiful things in its daily life, driving the development of the city for the next 10 years.

Taichung City was a special guest at the Network of Cities Meeting of WDC, to show how design has changed the development of the city and its citizens, symbolized in a hammer inspired by animal figures. Taichung is famous for its machinery making, and this hammer combines creativity with utility.

Mayor Lin also met Taiwanese businessmen and entrepreneurs to discuss the strengths, business trends and competitiveness they are imparting to Mexico, mainly in alternative energy generation; the automotive industry; electronic components; machinery equipment; wholesale and retail trade; and professional, scientific and technical services; among other business sectors. Nowadays, there are 300 Taiwanese companies that operate in Mexico, which have investments of three billion dollars and generate 60 thousand direct jobs in the country.

Taichung has quickly become the second most important city in Taiwan, being recognized as one of the best cities to live in. This was demonstrated in a survey conducted in 2016; not only was it voted as the happiest city in Taiwan, it also has a 96% satisfaction rate among its residents.

Part of the merit is due to the Taichung Design Promotion Committee, whose objective is to highlight local characteristics and nature, and with which the city government has developed 102 urban improvement projects with a focus on "people." These actions have earned it the honor of hosting the Taichung World Floral Exhibition 2018, which will be celebrated from November 2018 to April 2019, and to which Mayor Lin invites everyone.

About Taichung
Taichung is located in the center of Taiwan. It has a subtropical climate with a 23.3°C average temperature. It is the second largest city on the island, with 2.8 million inhabitants, and is positioned as the geographic center of many cultures in Taiwan.

It also has the largest art museum in Asia: The National Museum of Fine Arts in Taiwan. In 2016, not only was it voted as the happiest city in Taiwan, it also has a 96% satisfaction rate among its residents. (Apart from this, since Mexico is also a hub of great architects, Taichung is also the city with the highest number of buildings by Pritzker Architecture Prize winners like Ieoh Ming Pei, Tadao Ando, Toyo Ito, etc.)

About World Design Capital
World Design Capital (WDC), is designated every two years by the World Design Organization (WDO), and recognizes cities for their effective use of design to drive economic, social, cultural, and environmental development. Through a year-long program of events, the designated city showcases best practices in sustainable design-led urban policy and innovation that improve quality of life. Mexico City is the sixth World Design Capital and the first city in the Americas to receive this title.

Previous WDCs include Torino, Italy (2008); Seoul, South Korea (2010); Helsinki, Finland (2012); Cape Town, South Africa (2014), and Taipei, Taiwan (2016). Lille, France, has been awarded the designation for 2020.

SOURCE Taiwan Design Center

Related Links

http://www.tdc.org.tw/?lang=en