Urban Regeneration, Publicness and Participation in Spatial Planning: A Case of Taipei

This study examines the issue of publicness and the practice of public participation in urban regeneration through municipal-led social housing as an approach to urban regeneration. The study examines the case of Taipei through the project process and deliberations to understand the communication and decision-making patterns of the project, which includes an analysis of who is eligible to be a participant, who is ignored, and the extent to which these participants are given decision-making power. As well as, what the public interest discussions are for these final urban regeneration projects. This study found that the participatory process, in this case, was quite ineffective. This is because the communication of the public interest at the outset led to conflicts between the municipality and the residents. And when the participatory process could not reach a consensus within a certain time frame, the one with the final decision-making power (the municipality) made an authoritative decision instead of continuous public communication.