By Tung Kuan-yi and Fion Khan / Staff reporter, with staff writer
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator and Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen (沈伯洋) today unveiled a policy vision built around five pillars summarized by the acronym “HEART,” covering housing, transportation, childcare, long-term care, youth development and urban governance.
The five pillars are Habitat, Empower, Accompany, Resilience and Time, forming the word “HEART” to symbolize a people-centered approach to city governance, Shen told a news conference.
Shen outlined five initiatives for “Habitat”: promoting affordable housing for newly married couples and young people, increasing tree canopy coverage and green spaces, integrating dredging and waterfront development along the Tamsui and Keelung rivers through a two-river basin project, creating a Taipei mountain trail network, and developing cultural trails.
Photo: Tung Kuan-yi, Taipei Times
The “Empower” pillar would focus on expanding opportunities for younger generations, with initiatives including a city fund to support young entrepreneurs and expanding grants to help young people gain international experience, Shen said.
He also pledged to subsidize artificial intelligence courses to improve competitiveness and create more opportunities, provide mentorship and support programs for people aged 45 or older seeking a change in career and establish an urban research institute in the Beitou-Shilin Technology Park (北投士林科技園區) to create jobs and attract overseas Taiwanese talent.
The “Accompany” pillar would seek to address growing social isolation by rebuilding community connections, Shen said.
Taipei has more than 80,000 apartment buildings that are more than 30 years old and do not have elevators, and nearly 60 percent of older residents live in such buildings, he said.
Despite Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) promise to install elevators for seniors, complex application procedures have resulted in fewer than 0.1 percent of eligible buildings applying over the past three years, Shen said.
He pledged to work with the central government to provide door-to-door assistance, with support measures including “fitness minibuses,” upgrades to Senior Citizen Cards and the expansion of community care centers.
Loneliness is not only an issue affecting seniors, Shen said, pledging to roll out support programs for families with children, civil servants and teachers.
The “Resilience” pillar would focus on enhancing the city’s ability to respond to crises, including transportation disruptions, climate challenges and public safety threats, he said.
The city government’s administrative structure has failed to keep pace with reality, Shen said.
Managing the nighttime economy involves urban design, women’s safety, commercial-residential communication and environmental hygiene — areas currently split across several departments with low efficiency, he said.
To improve coordination, Shen proposed expanding the authority of Taipei’s chief sustainability officer and creating two new positions — chief design officer and “night mayor” — a concept inspired by Amsterdam.
The “Time” pillar would aim to save residents time and improve their quality of life, he said.
Shen proposed providing families with a fixed number of respite childcare hours and expanding temporary childcare services at cultural venues and major sporting events.
Establishing fitness stations at Taipei MRT stations equipped with lockers, changing rooms and shower facilities would reduce the time required for exercise-related travel, he said.
For transportation, Shen said he would seek to incorporate shared scooters into the TPASS commuter program and expand bicycle commuting networks to reduce transfer times and promote environmental sustainability.
The five pillars together form the word “HEART,” reflecting his vision of building a comprehensive urban governance ecosystem while enhancing Taipei’s resilience and international competitiveness, Shen added.