Taipei, June 4 (CNA) Citizen participation has been long overlooked but will be an important factor in our living in the new millennium as well as an integral part of urban design and community infrastructure establishment, a German architect said Monday in an international workshop.
Three groups of workshop participants presented their ideas and plans on the themes of rivers, garden city and community public spaces in the final presentation of a five-day workshop titled "Living and Housing in the 3rd Millennium: Ideas and Strategies for Better Living in Taipei" that was guided by German architect Klaus Luig.
"All human beings are responsible for our future with the objective of enhancing quality of life. While nature and sustainable growth know no borders, it's essential to exchange ideas, " Luig said, adding that modern day urban development often ignores the citizens.
The workshop, organized by the German Cultural Center in Taipei, brought together participants from different generations, nationalities and professional backgrounds to work on ideas for Taipei's future during five days of discussions and brainstorming.
"Taiwanese architecture and urban design are dominated by elitism and ignore civic participation, " said Janice Chen, who was in a group that developed a plan to better make use of the riverside park on the Hsintien river.
"It's time to let the real users -- the citizens -- participate in the development, management and design of their communities and environments, " she added.
The other groups worked out plans to redevelop New Garden City, an old community in suburban Taipei, and the sustainable utilization and management of community public spaces in Taipei.
"Some of the ideas these participants came up with are actually workable and will be a very good source and reference for the government, while some of them are pretty idealistic, " Luig commented after the presentation.
"Don't forget, however, the building of a wall starts with the first brick. This is a good start, " he said.