Mayor’s Remarks:
1. The opening of the Street Museum of Art +
(1) The long-anticipated Street Museum of Art +，located on Haian Road, was officially opened to the public last Saturday. Although the weather was less than ideal, many citizens still attended the opening ceremony, much like the Street Art Competival three years ago.
(2) The Bureau of Urban Development invested a lot of time into planning the Street Museum of Art +. Other than showcasing eye-catching public art, the Street Museum of Art + also transforms the landscape of the dividers along Haian Road. In the future, Haian Road will no longer be associated with negative images such as messiness and illegal parking; rather, it will become an iconic and scenic road in Tainan.
(3) Tainan’s downtown cityscape has been improving since Tainan was upgraded as a special municipality. I would like to thank former Director-General Wu, who is now the Action Director-General of the Construction and Planning Agency (Ministry of the Interior); Director-General Chuang; and the staff members of the Bureau of Urban Development for utilizing their professional knowledge and contributing to Tainan's urban planning. We hope that law enforcement and citizens can work together to maintain the Street Museum of Art + and to transform Haian Road into Tainan’s eternal pride. Thank you, Deputy Mayor Wu, the Public Works Bureau, and the Bureau of Transportation for your hard work in transforming idle underground space along Haian Road into a highly-used parking lot, as this has indirectly increased tourism along Chengshing Street, Guohua Street, and Shennong Street.
2. Promoting Tainan’s own brand of Koshi rice in Central Taiwan
(1) Tainan No. 16 is Tainan’s own brand of Koshi rice that shares 95% of its genes with Japan’s Koshihikari. Tainan No. 16 is cultivated with the purest water from Wushantou Reservoir using a technique that involves separating irrigation from drainage. The modified species can be harvested twice a year and is well suited to Taiwan’s natural conditions. Moreover, it’s only half the price of Koshihikari. In short, it is locally-produced rice that is delicious, affordable, and of the best quality.
(2) To expand the reach of Tainan’s Koshi rice to a greater number of people in Taiwan, the Tainan City Government held a promotional event at supermarkets in Taichung City over the weekend. The lunch boxes and sushi sold at Yumaowu Supermarket on the day of the event were made using Tainan’s Koshi rice, giving consumers in Central Taiwan a chance to taste delicious rice grown in Tainan’s fields.
(3) Other than promoting Tainan’s Koshi rice outside of Tainan, I have specifically asked the Bureau of Economic Development to assist the Agriculture Bureau in expanding local channels, thereby providing greater convenience to citizens who wish to purchase Tainan’s Koshi rice in Tainan. The Tainan City Government is now negotiating with supermarket franchises to put Tainan’s Koshi rice on the shelves as soon as possible. Soon, Tainan’s citizens will have priority in purchasing and enjoying this improved species of rice.
3. Yunghua Civil Sports Center is about to open
(1) Tainan's first municipal sports center – Yunghua Civil Sports Center, is scheduled to enter trial operations in September. An operating team has already been established in the center to ensure that the setup and facilities of the center meet the emerging demands of Tainan City.
(2) After the new rapid transit system becomes operational, transportation in metropolitan Tainan will become more convenient, and a population influx is expected. Thus, I would like to ask the Bureau of Education and the Department of Sports to assess the feasibility, market potential, volume, and potential locations for establishing a second or even a third municipal sports center, which may prove useful for mid- to long-term municipal plans.
Announcements
1. The Gender Equality Office’s report on the outcome of promoting gender equality in Tainan from 2016-2017 (refer to written sources for details)
Decision: Approved for reference filing
Mayor’s Remarks:
(1) The promotion of gender equality involves many different aspects and relates to the work of almost all divisions. Gender equality should also be employed in our day to day lives. I would like to thank Executive Officer Chen Ming-jen of the Gender Equality Office for collaborating with the departments and consolidating this report. I would also like to thank Deputy Mayor Wu for spearheading and supervising interdepartmental collaborations. I would like to thank the staff members of the Department of Personnel, Bureau of Education, and the Bureau of Social Affairs for their endeavors in promoting gender equality within the Tainan City Government. Your efforts have yielded significant results over the years.
(2) Promoting gender equality essentially involves empowering people faced with disadvantages because of their gender and eliminating gender power imbalance. In addition to benefiting those disadvantaged by their gender, promoting gender equality also safeguards the rights of people of all sexes and sexual orientations. In this new era, many practices must be reconsidered. For example, whether women’s rights are sufficiently protected, the use of gender-neutral toilets, and whether people of all sexual orientations and identities are properly represented in various statistics and gender impact assessments.
(3) Much work remains on the road of promoting gender equality. I urge all staff members to avoid gender-blindness and to always act with empathy and proactively incorporate gender equality while carrying out your work. Only by doing so can we cater to the needs of all citizens and transform Tainan into a gender-friendly and livable city.
(4) Last year, Tainan’s legislative constituencies were restructured, and the number of constituencies was reduced from 18 to 13. One of the purposes of the restructure was to ensure that each constituency has guaranteed slots for all genders. Thus, this change can also be considered one of the outcomes of the Tainan City Government’s endeavor to promote gender equality.
2. The Bureau of Transportation’s report on its administrative achievements over the past eight years (refer to written sources for details)
Decision: Approved for reference filing
Mayor’s Remarks:
(1) Tainan is a new special municipality that used to comprise a county and city. The nature of Tainan’s traffic differs from that of the other five special municipalities in Taiwan; thus, its transportation system was also organized with a different mindset. When Premier Lai first took office as Mayor of Tainan, he recognized the importance of improving public transportation. Hence, he led the Tainan City Government to conduct a systematic analysis of the environment and subsequently proposed the Rapid Transit Systematization Plan, which addresses new transportation demands that have surfaced since Tainan was upgraded as a special municipality. Inevitably, some initially disagreed with this plan. Nevertheless, the Tainan City Government and Bureau of Transportation insisted on doing what is right for the people. All projects are on schedule, and the transformation project has gained the recognition of Tainan’s citizens while also yielding fruitful results. The transportation volume for buses has grown from 7.49 million in 2010 to 20.58 million by the end of 2017, a triple-fold growth. Improvements to Tainan’s public transportation system are evident, and Tainan’s citizens have expressed their recognition for this transformation project.
(2) Other than expanding the public transportation system, the Tainan City Government has also achieved substantial progress in improving parking in the city. Under the framework of Parking No. 1: Ten Thousand Parking Spaces, 4,817 car parking spaces and 3,547 scooter parking spaces have been allocated in 123 parking lots across idle land in areas with high parking demands, closing the supply-demand gap for parking spaces in Tainan. In addition, the number of T-Bike users has grown over the years, compensating for the insufficiencies of the current public transportation system and enabling greater convenience for both citizens and tourists.
(3) In the past, citizens often complained that “all special municipalities but Tainan now have a rapid transit system." I must stress that this delay is due to the fact that the Tainan city Government respects the professional judgment of the Bureau of Transportation and understands that different transportation demands surface during different stages of development and that problems related to transportation must be prioritized. We have worked step-by-step to resolve citizens’ transportation obstacles. After eight years of hard work, the rapid transit system has gradually taken shape. Shortly, the Advanced Transportation System, which was designed to cater to Tainan’s needs, will be officially opened to the public. The construction of the Green, Blue, and Red Lines has been approved by the Central Government and included in the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program. Tainan City’s Rapid Transit Office is also about to be officially established. I urge the staff members of the Bureau of Transportation to pull out all the stops and continue their endeavors in shaping Tainan’s rapid transit system, which is the foundation for Tainan’s development during the next 100 years. Together, let us shape Tainan into a city that is pedestrian-friendly, offers convenient parking, and boasts the best traffic safety in Taiwan.
(4) I would like to ask the Bureau of Transportation to continue to monitor whether buses arrive on time and the financial performance of the T-Bike system. The land expropriation plan for railway grade separation has been submitted to the Central Government. I would like to ask Secretary-General Hung and the Land Administration Bureau to closely monitor the expropriation plans for the North District and East District.