Premier Su Tseng-chang said Thursday that the government plans to invest NT$6 billion (US$212.3 million) over the coming six years to help local governments improve the infrastructure and scenery of urban and rural locales around Taiwan.
The premier's remarks followed a Ministry of the Interior (MOI) briefing on transformations in rural and urban landscapes over the past 20 years. Every place has its own special character and story, sculpting a local culture that is both unique and diverse, he said. The government's outstanding success in promoting urban and rural infrastructure over the last two decades comes on the back of generations of hard work.
Since President Tsai Ing-wen took office, the administration has been promoting the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program covering eight major categories, among which are rural and urban projects for balancing regional development. These projects must be implemented in conjunction with local governments, requiring their conscious, proactive and complete cooperation. The infrastructure should incorporate features that are inspired by local culture and not transplanted from elsewhere, Premier Su said. The projects should also nurture urban and rural infrastructure design specialists and encourage young people to enter the field.
In working on these projects, ministries, agencies and local governments must emphasize simplicity and natural harmony, guided by the design principles of ease of use, ease of maintenance, and ease of management, the premier said. The NT$6 billion for this new phase of urban and rural scenic beautification and revitalization efforts was approved in June 2020 and will be invested over the next six years, Premier Su emphasized.
The MOI indicated that it has helped fund more than 8,000 local scenic beautification projects over the past two decades. The transformation achieved continues to yield compounding benefits as local communities shine with growing sparkle and verve.