Taipei City Government

Many people tend to stereotype the concept of urban renewal which involves construction workers tearing down old buildings and replacing them with new ones. However, another viable option is “rehabilitation and conservation.”
 
In recent years, the city government has implemented the simplified process for adding elevators to old apartments and condominiums. The popular offering has attracted over 50 applications since its introduction. Currently, 20 projects have been carried out and received praises from the public.
 
A successful example is the new elevator added to the Zhongshan Yupin building in Zhongshan District. Facing the growing need for elevators by the building’s residents, the community management association called several meetings to consolidate community home owners’ opinion regarding the incentive offered by city hall. With the support of the community members, the association filed for the elevator subsidy and received the city government’s approval. The elevator has been installed this year.
 
The Urban Regeneration Office noted that this year’s deadline for the application for the elevator installation subsidy for old apartments and condo is December 30. The subsidy covers a maximum of 50% of total construction cost and capped at NT$2.2 million for each elevator installed. Thanks to the simplification of the process, the time between application filing and approval/rejection can be as fast as 2 weeks. The applicant can file for the payment of the subsidy with the agency upon the completion of the project and elevator permit issuance.
 
The city government has commissioned URDCA to assist the applicants on issues such as technical assistance, site surveillance and cost assessment. For more information, please call the agency (TEL: 02-2781-5696, ext. 3157, 3158, or 3159) or visit its Chinese website (https://uro.gov.taipei/).