Taichung Shueinan Airport Planning Project

I.Background

After serving the city for more than 70 years, the Taichung Shueinan Domestic Airport was closed on March 5 of 2004 to be replaced by the new Taichung International Airport. With the closure of airport, building restrictions surrounding the site were relieved, and more than two-thirds of Taichung’s air rights were reopened. Both the former airport site and her surrounding farm land of 247 hectares are given new opportunities for redevelopment.

In response to globalization, cross-strait economic opportunities and future regional development of central Taiwan, Taichung City Government is determined to recreate the former airport site into a special district that integrates culture, technology, industry, ecology, and transportation and further the goal of making the city a livable and global city. It is envisioned that through public and private partnership, private capitals can be encouraged to take part in the development of this former airport site. If realized, the transformed district will become a commercial center with trade, exposition, academic and leisure activities and an icon in central Taiwan.

The former airport district of 247 hectares, sitting next the 12th Land Consolidation District, borders the Beltway in the north, the 8th Planned Unit Development section in the east, Ho-nai Road in the south, and the CSIST, Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation and Feng Chia University in the west. Existing land uses include airport, aviation, agriculture, petroleum station, drainage system and roadwork.

II. Conceptual positioning

Responding to Taichung city’s multiple cores and development patterns, the new airport district will be a new and green core The functions and developmental goals of the zone are reconstructed according to local features and the multi-core urban development characteristics of Taichung City in order to promote the dynamically balanced development of the entire urban area. This zone will integrate trade, innovation and R&D, technology, recreational, cultural and living functions in order to shape the “urban new green core in change”.

The followings describe major spatial zones as well as their respective urban design concepts.

(1) International trade area

Designated as a trade zone and hub of outbound transport that caters international trade. It also represents the entrance image to Taichung City from the Jhongching Exit, surrounded by lower-density suburban settings. Flexibility, mixed use and phased development of fifteen years are features in the proposed land use plan. Low-density development pattern is recommended in order to increase the openness of the whole district. About forty acres of land is designated as park land, 16.20% of the entire district. To solve the shortage of large-scaled convention space in Taichung City, a Convention and Recreation Campus zone is also planned for in this area.

(2) Education and R&D area

Located next to the highest density area of educational facilities, about 53 hectare, 21.28% of the entire zone, are reserved for universities, colleges, innovation and R&D centers, and other educational facilities, which go by the name of university city.

A rectangular innovation and R&D area is planned for professional scientific research institutions. Educational and research institutions are planned on the wings to support the foundational research needs of the Central Taiwan Science Park. Based on the concept of the technology demonstration suite, streets will be 90-120 meters in width and 180-300 meters in length to highlight the south-to-north relationship. Moreover, the outbound road network will contain a 20-30m-wide road running south to north and a 40m-wide parkway running east to west across the site. All other roads running east to west are basically 15m wide. An organic spatial configuration will be adopted by combining high-tech R&D studios and demonstration activities in order to make this belt-shaped, light-quality environmental structure the Fifth Avenue of the Central Taiwan Science Park.

The area (about 12 hectare) east of the Feng Chia University will be extended as the expansion base of Feng Chia University or other colleges and universities and educational and research institutions with an open campus.

(3) Parkway

In line with the unique parkway system of Taichung City, green space is reserved on both sides of the main roads. These roads meet at the central park to form a special space. A 60m-wide parkway running south to north is planned in the development area on Jhongching Road in order to connect the urban pattern along Jhongching Road. The width of the green area located along the intersection of Jhongching Road and Dunhua Road to the center of the zone will be expanded to form a shaded avenue. A 3D cross will be used to separate the central region and accesses for vehicles and people in order to maintain the integrity of the green area and to make the space more interesting. Residential areas are located along the sides of the parkway to make the district different from the Jhongching Road Parkway in order to present a green and urban environment in the future.

(4) Taichung’s Front Door

As the node linking up the central park and the trade park, it is an international landmark door, through which International Trade Center and the offices of foreign investors and their representative offices using the Taichung International Airport as the transit center in the future. It is also the center for international conferences and exchanges. Therefore, it is a multipurpose building. The building uses a huge open doorframe to present the image of Taichung’s front door. The abandoned runway runs across the door of a curved structure and to cover up the center axis of the central park to make the Door of Taichung the north end. The entire design forms a “sequence of spatial changes covering open space-road-half open space-medium space-building”.

(5) Translation of the runway memory

Taking pieces from the airport’s history, including the runway, the Taichung Tower, old trees and ecological waters, the main runway is reserved for historical memory. Besides recalling to the spatial memory of citizens, the runway tells the story of the airport area to visitors and brings out fun memory.

(6) Central Park

The park area is located at the transportation hub at the center of the zone.

(7) Resident area

The residential area covers an area of about 31 hectares, or 12.38%. There will be garden villa district, resort club district and experimental housing district. The area basically provides housing and general business functions to support the service and housing needs derived from the development of the area.

(8) Museum of Taichung City Development

It is the image of the entrance into the urban center area and the southward focus of the green axis of the central park. The museum is planned to display the development history, planning processes, rises and declines of urban and rural areas in Taichung, urban planning and design, industrial development, urban telecommunications, sewage, fire prevention, flood and disaster prevention, and transportation and traffic in Taichung. A model of the entire city will be on display and citizens will be invited to participate in the review meetings in order to improve the citizens’ understanding and enhance their identification of Taichung City. A 300m-tall independent tower, a landmark, will be the last stop of the exhibition to allow citizens looking over the real scene of Taichung City from above.

III. Timeframe

1. Taichung Shueinan Airport Zone International Planning and Design Contest
   (1) Time: December 2006-January 2007
   (2) Contents of work

   including architecture, landscape and urban planning sketches.

2. Urban planning changes & detailed plan establishment
   (1) Estimated time: February 2007-March 2008
   (2) Contents of work

   Coordinating with the said CEPD-approved international planning and design contest, full-zone planning and layout developed by the Lungyi Consultant Team can be used as the reference for urban plan and drawing production, review and approval.

3. Land acquisition and public facility 
   (1) Estimated time: February 2008-December 2009
   (2) Contents of work

   Following the completion of the urban planning changes and detailed plan establishment, land acquisition and public facility projects will begin. It is estimated that the TCCG may acquire lands of about 120 hectares for public facilities and for the construction of the trade park and education and research area in the zone to attract private investments and to promote redevelopment of the Shueinan Airport district.