Conceptual Design Invitation for Heart of the Capital: A Vision for Transforming Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Park
● Statement
Taiwan went through 38 years of martial law, during which the longest-serving president was Chiang Kai-shek. Over the years, the Taiwan civic society has subjected the memorial park built in memory of Chiang Kai-shek, located in the heart of Taipei City, to lots of discussion and contestation in terms of its use, functions, and symbolic meaning. In view of these debates, the Taiwan Alliance For Architectural Modernity, the Chinese Institute of Urban Design, and the Taiwan Institute of Landscape Architects have jointly organized the Conceptual Design Competition for Heart of the Capital: A Vision for Transforming Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Park. Even though the competition is just a call for ideas, it is the hope of the organizers that these ideas could be a catalyst for further discussions in society. The ideas, transformed from words to concepts, from descriptions to illustrations, seek to build a social consensus that leads to future spatial transformation.
In recent years, the Taiwanese society has been actively engaged in conversations on issues such as transitional justice, the future of the ordinary citizen, and the projected image of the capital city. The vibrancy of the exchanges does not merely reflect the capacity of the Taiwanese society to hold diverse dialectics but also presents challenges to professionals working with urban public spaces. These professionals are now tasked to reexamine the sites that were created during the authoritarian rule of the 19th and 20th centuries, as they consider how to create visions of contemporary life and a city of the future. In addition, they also have to find a way to allow the heart of the capital city to move away from being a physical embodiment of authoritarian rule and regime. Only after the transformation of the site can the above visions of the public domain be realized.
