Inauguration ceremony of the Liugong Green Corridor on July 16
On the evening of July 16, 2024, Mayor Chiang Wan-An led related personnel to preside over the inauguration ceremony of the Liugong Green Corridor. The site of the Liugong Green Corridor Pedestrian Environment Improvement Project, located at Lane 135, Section 1, Fuxing South Road, Taipei City, in the heart of the East District commercial area, offers Taipei citizens a new, high-quality, human oriented recreational space. The new commercial area features an improved environment and quality and aims to revitalize the area, enhancing the leisure experience for citizens. According to Hsiao Chih-Lung, the head of the Public Works Section, New Construction Office, Public Works Bureau, Taipei City Government, this project site was formerly part of the natural formation of the Da Wan River Channel in the Shangpi area. In 1979, it was integrated into the urban planning project as a water channel in the back alley of Zhongxiao East Road, before being transformed into a parking space in 1985, with the flourishing commercial development on Zhongxiao East Road, Sections 3 and 4 of Zhongxiao East Road emerged as a vibrant commercial area in the Eastern District. However, located behind the Far Eastern SOGO Taipei Zhongxiao Store, this site merely served as an auxiliary space for the commercial area. As part of the Taipei City Government's efforts to improve public spaces and the human oriented environment in the Eastern District, and in alignment with the Eastern District Development and Revitalization Project launched by the Department of Urban Development in 2019, street reevaluation and city block reconstruction were carried out. The New Construction Office was responsible for the design and construction of this site, with the core concepts of creating a human oriented pedestrian environment and connecting green corridors in the Eastern District to redefine the site’s longstanding negative image. Wang Ming-Hui, the Director of the South District, Public Works Section, noted that the project commenced on August 1, 2023, and was completed on June 30, 2024. The key improvements included creating a crossing on Fuxing South Road to link Liugongzun Park and integrating Lane 135, Section 1, Fuxing South Road, with the central green corridor. The project improved the previously narrow pedestrian space, removed an inconvenient parking lot, and elevated the road on the south side to integrate with the central green corridor. This created a diverse and accessible space featuring newly planted 132.21 square meters of shrubs, 427.86 square meters of ground cover, and 17 trees, transforming it into an urban ecological oasis. The area was enhanced with new seating and street furniture to offer a comfortable space for pedestrians. Three mist rings were installed to boost the green environment, with water ripple lighting and mist facilities at night, recreating the Da Wan River hydrological image. The result is a pedestrian plaza that prioritizes people, resilience, and a sense of intellectual engagement, making the overall pedestrian environment even more user-friendly. Finally, Wang Ming-Hui noted that the green corridor is now open to the public and that it will connect Liugongzun Park to the west and Liugong Park to the east, stretching to Dinghao and Longmen Plaza. This forms a linear green corridor in the heart of the Eastern District commercial area, enhancing open spaces and tightly integrating the metropolitan commercial area of the Eastern District. It is hoped that local foot traffic will be improved, and that various creative activities within the Eastern District commercial zone will be integrated, gradually attracting people back and revitalizing the area's bustling atmosphere.