Recent efforts to introduce “design thinking” into urban governance are giving citizens greater pride and confidence in their own culture.
But just how is the government integrating design into public policy to refine the Taiwan “brand” and flavor it with local character? This month we explore the question from several angles, looking at cooperation between government and the design community, as well as international awards ceremonies, design curation, and handicrafts training. These kinds of publicprivate partnerships are opening a new chapter in urban design and enhancing the value of Taiwan’s brand.
Meanwhile, the private sector has also continued to elevate its design skills. An environmentally friendly tote bag made from recycled PET fibers has made sustainability more than just a slogan. The tote has created “green” business opportunities by helping make sustainability a lifestyle, and its design has increased public interest in reducing plastic waste.
This month’s issue also dissects the culture industry’s encounter with tech, one in which the collision of disciplines ranging from engineering and technology to art, architecture and philosophy is giving rise to new ideas.
Join us too as we take a bicycle journey along Provincial Highway 24 through Pingtung County from Sandimen Township to Wutai Township, exploring the culture- and crafts-related businesses in the many Paiwan and Rukai villages along the way. What are the “three treasures of the Paiwan?” What must-see travel destinations did Typhoon Morakot open up? Let our team introduce you to the area’s scenic, ecological, cultural and crafts-related attractions.
And we visit Mental Image Studio, a group passing on Taiwanese Aboriginal culture via paper arts. Working with indigenous communities and taking advantage of the Rural Up! Program to produce paper handicrafts, the studio is training seed teachers and building a local circular economy. The group ranked first in the “artistic and cultural applications” section of the Ministry of Culture’s 2016 iMatch competition and was a 2017 and 2018 Golden Pin Design Award nominee.
This issue is permeated with “design” in contexts ranging from government departments, Aboriginal villages, and international-caliber awards ceremonies to environmentally friendly tote bags. It also includes first-hand interviews with Taiwanese workers, giving well-known people in a variety of fields the chance to share their work experience and tell their own stories. As special-effects makeup artist Chu Chia-Yi said in our interview: “That’s how you get there—just keep going and you’ll find the way.” Let’s hope that Taiwan’s soft power continues to develop all over the world!