Taipei City Government

On March 15, Mayor Ko Wen-je arrived at the Guandu Wharf to preside over the reopening ceremony of the facility after a major overhaul. He also inspected the results of construction works, including the wide array of public art installations, wooden walkway, and observation deck.
 
During his address, the mayor remarked that there are many attractions in the vicinity which attracts tourists and cyclists. Having noticed numerous vacant and unused areas around the wharf, the city government laid out a plan to optimize the usage of such open spaces, as well as taking the opportunity to renovate some of the more dated installations. He believes that through the revamp, the wharf will once again become an important center for riverside and aquatic activities, as well a spot for visitors to take selfies and check in on social media.
 
With the knowhow from designing and implementing the Beitou wall-less museum in the past, the city government decided to incorporate Guandu area into the overall plan. Ko pointed out that Guandu hosts 3 major events around October, including the Guandu Nature Arts Festival, Bustling Guandu Festival, and Guandu International Bird Watching Fair. In addition to promoting these events, the city government now seeks to incorporate local infrastructure and attractions – wharf, riverside cycling trails, mangrove forests and flower fields – into its masterplan for the region.
 
Ko pointed out that unlike the past, city agencies today seeks to optimize the performances of areas and facilities with unique characteristics through coordinated planning among respective agencies. The result is the creation of a 5+3 culture zone wall-less museum encompassing Beitou, Dadaocheng, north city corridor, south city NTU, Wanhua, Pop Music Center, Performing Arts Center, and Taipei Dome.
 
Noting that March is the month of blooming azaleas, the mayor pointed out that he feels happy when he passes by these beautiful flowers along Renai Road on his way to work every day. Having planted almost 800,000 azaleas at various locations across Taipei between his first day on the job and the end of the year, Ko emphasized the importance of years of work to make the spring landscapes more appealing. He stressed that this is the city government’s approach – working continuously on small details year-after-year to achieve major success.