Graduate Institute of Building and Planning, National Taiwan University-Top 100 Contributions of NTUBP

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Graduate Institute of Building and Planning, National Taiwan University

Since its establishment, NTUBP has focused on a variety of issues and made significant contributions to society. In its assessment of the university's top 100 social contributions, NTU recognized the department's efforts in areas such as settlement revitalization and gender space planning. Detailed descriptions of these contributions are provided below.

The preservation and revitalization of the Treasure Hill settlement
Frog Mountain Settlement Conservation Action Plan
The preservation and revitalization of the Treasure Hill settlement
The preservation of the Treasure Hill settlement is not only a paradigm of cultural heritage conservation in Taiwan but also a concrete practice in safeguarding the housing rights of vulnerable populations. Over the past twenty-five years, faculty and students from the Institute of Architecture and Urban Studies have been fully engaged in the preservation, revitalization, and social transformation of the Treasure Hill settlement. This engagement has substantially altered the destiny of what was originally labeled as an informal and unauthorized settlement, establishing a dynamic preservation model that retains both the houses and the residents. Furthermore, it has influenced the spatial layout of Taipei's southern cityscape.

Starting around 1997, faculty and students from the Institute of Architecture and Urban Studies have been involved in various aspects of the Treasure Hill settlement, including:

1. Socio-spatial research of the settlement

2. Urban conservation advocacy

3. Preservation actions

4. Community empowerment and capacity building

5. Curating and executing global art initiatives

6. Planning for space revitalization and reuse

7. Drafting plans for the preservation and redevelopment of settlement architecture

8. Urban planning amendments for preservation zones

9. Implementation of cultural heritage restoration projects

10. Construction of intermediary housing within the settlement

11. Promotion of cohabitation projects between Treasure Hill settlement and art village

12. Community support programs for Treasure Hill residents

Each of these processes involves real challenges that test the expertise of planning and design professionals while carrying implications for spatial reform. Many internationally renowned scholars and professionals recognize this as a rare example of bottom-up, grassroots action that has successfully influenced government policies and resulted in the "artistic cohabitation" model, which integrates alternative solutions with the original informal settlement and international art village.
Frog Mountain Settlement Conservation Action Plan
In 2013, faced with the redevelopment of the Huan Min Village, an Air Force-managed military dependents' village within the Frog Mountain Settlement, the Institute of Architecture and Urban Studies' Settlement and Landscape Research Lab initiated a conservation action plan in collaboration with the local residents. Through opportunities for social participation within their curriculum, faculty and students cooperated with the community to launch a series of mapping and community actions, attracting considerable media attention and invitations to participate in the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale of Architecture, garnering ongoing interest.

In 2014, the Settlement and Landscape Research Lab secured research funding from the Bureau of Cultural Heritage, Ministry of Culture, to conduct a year-long basic survey of the social and ecological environment of the Frog Mountain Settlement. This survey served as the basis for subsequent applications for classification as a "cultural landscape" under cultural heritage types. Following several public hearings and negotiations, the Taipei City Government officially registered the Frog Mountain Settlement as a cultural landscape of Taipei City in 2014. In 2016, based on the scope of the project outlined by the Bureau of Cultural Heritage, Ministry of Culture, the boundaries were expanded to include neighboring settlements' landscape content. The former NTU Building and Planning Research Foundation proposed a comprehensive restoration and reuse plan for the entire area, conducting over a hundred workshops in collaboration with the community to actively develop detailed plans for future urban planning changes to viable preservation areas.

Faculty and students from Graduate Institute of Building and Planning continued to work closely with disadvantaged communities, seeking alternative solutions within the framework of urban planning and cultural heritage preservation laws. Through a process of review and negotiation, they redefined the practical methods of environmental planning and design discourse and techniques.

Gender and Space
The Women's Restroom Movement
Gender and Space
When Graduate Institute of Building and Planning was established, its emphasis on public participation and spatial practice attracted many students interested in feminist discourse and women's activism. Several key members of the Taipei University Women's Research Society later enrolled in the institute. Graduate students spontaneously formed a Women and Space study group. In 1992, Dr. Bi Hengda graduated from the doctoral program in Environmental Psychology at the City University of New York and returned to teach at the Institute of Architecture and Urban Studies, focusing primarily on gender and space. In 1995, following a proposal signed by over forty students, the institute's council approved the establishment of the Gender and Space Research Lab, dedicated to research, education, and promotion of gender and space issues.

The Gender and Space Research Lab pioneered the field of gender and space in Taiwan's academic community and extended its reach into society. The lab published six issues of the "Gender and Space Newsletter," covering topics such as community participation, public space safety, restrooms, and LGBTQ+ spaces. Its discourse and policy recommendations were adopted by the government, and hundreds of master's and doctoral theses have cited its work. The lab undertook multiple projects commissioned by the Ministry of Education, including establishing indicators for safe and gender-neutral campus spaces, exploring the spatial rights of transgender students in higher education campuses, and developing guidelines for gender-friendly and safe restroom facilities on campuses.

The women's restroom reform initiated by the Gender and Space Research Lab at Graduate Institute of Building and Planning attracted significant attention from the media and the public. On one hand, it led to legislative changes, making Taiwan's regulations on the number of women's restroom stalls in public restrooms (5:1) among the best in the world, and also resulted in the abolition of the fee system for women's restrooms in public facilities. Restrooms are not merely a matter of convenience; they are closely related to women's health, work quality, and opportunities for participating in public spaces. From demanding access to men's restrooms, to refusing to pay fees, to advocating for gender-friendly restrooms, these efforts have improved the restroom rights and welfare of countless women (as well as gender minorities) in Taiwan.
The Women's Restroom Movement
Public restrooms are an important indicator of gender equality in society. In 1995, the Gender and Space Research Lab of the Urban Planning Institute, in collaboration with the National Taiwan University Student Union, conducted a comprehensive examination of over a hundred restrooms on the NTU campus. On March 8th of that year, International Women's Day, a press conference was held at the entrance of NTU to announce the results of the overall inspection of NTU restrooms, revealing severe shortages of women's restrooms and other spatial issues such as privacy, safety, ventilation, and lighting.

As the problem of inadequate women's restrooms was not unique to the NTU campus, on May 4th of the same year, the Gender and Space Research Lab and the NTU Student Union, in conjunction with the National Union of Female Students in Higher Education, launched the "New May Fourth Women's Restroom Movement."

The women's restroom reform initiated by the Gender and Space Research Lab attracted great attention from the media and the general public. On one hand, it led to legislative changes, making Taiwan's regulations on the number of women's restroom stalls in public restrooms (5:1) among the best in the world, and also resulted in the abolition of the fee system for women's restrooms in public facilities. Restrooms are not merely a matter of convenience; they are closely related to women's health, work quality, and opportunities for participating in public spaces. From demanding access to men's restrooms, to refusing to pay fees, to advocating for gender-friendly restrooms, these efforts have improved the restroom rights and welfare of countless women (as well as gender minorities) in Taiwan.

Promotion of Urban Reform Movements and Housing Policies
Promotion of Urban Reform Movements and Housing Policies
In 1986, faculty and students from Graduate Institute of Building and Planning, along with a group of Taipei citizens, founded the Solidarity Organization for Homeless People to address the issue of skyrocketing housing prices. That year, they organized a series of protests and policy advocacy actions, including the "Snail Without a Shell" overnight sit-in on Zhongxiao East Road on August 26th. This event attracted over 20,000 participants, demanding that the government curb speculation in the housing market and implement policies such as taxation to correct housing market imbalances. The event highlighted concepts such as housing as a basic human right and the notion that housing should not be used for speculation. Due to extensive media coverage and widespread support from citizens, it was considered the first urban social movement in Taiwan by the media and relevant academic circles.

Subsequently, faculty and students from Graduate Institute of Building and Planning continued to promote housing policies. In 1992, they established the Urban Reform Organization OURs and the Mama Cui Renters' Service Center. The latter later transformed into the Mama Cui Foundation, which has long been committed to protecting renters' rights, providing legal services, and advocating for the evaluation system of moving companies to improve their services and reduce risks faced by renters. The Urban Reform Organization focused on creating a more livable environment, including efforts in ecological conservation, transportation rights, cultural preservation, and community building. They collaborated with professionals in fields such as architecture, urban planning, and landscape architecture to promote professional education and institutional reforms, and lobbied for relevant legislation in the legislature. In particular, their efforts in 2011 led to the enactment and subsequent amendments of the "Housing Law," which strengthened housing policy mechanisms and made the implementation of "social housing" one of the priorities for both central and local governments.