Privatizing the Public Space? A Review of the Implementation of the Historic Conservation Policy in Taipei through the Case of Wisteria Tea House

Wisteria Tea House is the first case of the privatization of the management of historic site which also an integrated conservation case to attempt to integrate the physical historical space with the tea culture and the public space/sphere in the city.fter the designation of historic building due to a series of conservation movements, the manager of Wisteria Tea House had transformed to Chinese Wisteria Cultural Association from private Wisteria Diner (an informal restaurant). Then the Association subcontracts the most of the space to Wisteria Diner to constitute the management subject.his research analyses the four dimensions of publics through a perspective of public space to review “the shift of public” in the implementation of the historic conservation policy of Taipei municipality. The management of Wisteria Tea House was an innovative way to search for the privatization of public space with the feedback fund. The core of the research is the tensions of power and the interwoven relationships through the commercial contracts among public power of municipal government, the mediator of the public organization of Association, and the real private manager, Wisteria Diner.