Using participatory-planning-based cooperative housing approaches as housing improvement solutions for Xizhou indigenous squatter settlements in New Taipei City, Taiwan

Abstract

This paper examined the ongoing struggle for habitation rights and the use of Taiwanese and Japanese external expert proposed participatory-planning-based cooperative housing (PPBCH) approaches as a housing improvement solution for the Xizhou indigenous tribe (XIT) squatter settlements in New Taipei City, Taiwan. The XIT squatter settlements in the Xindian Riverside district in the Taipei Metropolitan area, which is home to about 200 indigenous migrant laborers from Eastern Taiwan, has existed for about 50 years. After a systematic literature review on informal urban spaces, this paper clarified the spatial characteristics of the XIT squatter settlement, after which the history of the XIT housing movement was summarized. Then, participative micro-level analyses that involved observation, in-depth interviews and life history surveys were conducted to identify the particular issues, and notes taken at a participatory design workshop to integrate personal viewpoints into the evaluations on the interactions between the PPBCH actors and assess the effectiveness. Finally, implications and conclusions on the PPBCH approach to resolve the issues in the XIT squatter settlement are provided. Although further refinement is necessary, the PPBCH approach was found to be an effective future housing improvement solution for East Asia.