From Community Empowerment to "Community Planners"-The Institutionalizing of Community Planning in Taipei(1995-2004)

In 1980s, the development of democratization and social movement tide all over Taiwan society gave birth to the development of grass root of society. After all kinds of protests that happened in Taipei in early 90s, DPP proposed ‘community environment improving plan’ in 1995 as an important strategy to the middle class community after they came into power. The running of community empowerment and community participation were started, thus the community organization and city government came into a new phrase with cooperation and dialogue. Community planner system was created in 1999, which made some new roles between nation and community. The city government urged the professionals to go into the community. What’s more, the building of ‘community planning service center’ in every district combined related professions and college resources, which attributed to a platform for the interaction of community planners and communities. It also enlarged the network of professional resources. What above are all important planning systems that were first realized in Taipei in contrast to any other city in Taiwan. In 2001, the community planner system spread out all around in Taiwan because of the encouragement of ‘ Creating new urban and rural landscape plan’ by the central government.

This research focuses on the evolution of the community planning system of Taipei city in the latest ten years. From the community empowerment thinking and drafting of related policy which started by the progressive planners in the bureaucracy system, which followed the social movement, to the moving progress of incessantly building new system, there was indeed a unique progress in Taipei, which resulted in effect upon other cities. What events, what acts, and what subjects did the innovation and experimental characteristics orient from?
The establishment of these communities planning system by public sectors gradually blurred the oppositional relation between national machinery and community grass root, and replicate the unequal relation of power among nation, community, and professionals. What problems resulted in are to be solved in the phrases? I have participated in the’ regional development plan’ from 2000. I was also involved in the first and second round of community planning service center. I would like to elaborate the progress of the systematization of community planning in Taipei at the moment by my experience of actual participation.