Wan Pei, Lin/ Taichung
On the last day of her visit to the U.S., Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen visited Taichung’s sister city, San Diego, and met with Mayor Todd Gloria on July 29th. The two cities have been in an alliance for 41 years. They discussed each other’s recent developments and topics such as social housing, convention and exhibition centers, and shopping festivals. Mayor Lu also led a delegation to the San Diego Convention Center to learn about curatorial space planning and investment promotion strategies, which will be useful for organizing events at the Taichung International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
A delegation led by Mayor Lu, accompanied by Linghu Rongda, the former Deputy Mayor of Taichung City, visited San Diego City Hall on July 29 and was received by Mayor Todd Gloria. During the visit, Mayor Lu highlighted Taichung’s efforts in developing social housing and sought insights into San Diego’s strategies as the city implements the “Ready to Rebuild” proposal to resolve homelessness.
Mayor Gloria stated that the number of homeless people in the city has increased due to the pandemic. To address the housing crisis, the city government has taken three major steps. Firstly, it has increased budgetary inputs to accelerate the construction and review of licenses and broaden eligibility for subsidies. Secondly, it has simplified the approval process for suitable housing to nine days. Thirdly, it has built more than 2,000 housing units. The current goal is to build 10,000 new households. To achieve this, the application criteria will be liberalized, and all applicants with an average income below the local average will be eligible to apply. Additionally, rent discounts will be provided based on the applicant’s income.
Mayor Gloria was also interested in learning more about Taichung’s economic revitalization strategy in the wake of the pandemic. Mayor Lu explained that the pandemic had negatively impacted the economies of all counties and cities across the country, necessitating government assistance. In response, Taichung had organized festivals to attract people to the city and provide businesses with opportunities. One of the most notable events is the Taichung Shopping Festival, the first of its kind in Taichung, which offers a house as a prize each year. The annual budget for the event is approximately $10 million, but it has the potential to generate over $1 billion in economic output. This year marks the sixth anniversary of the event.
Mayor Lu also stated that she and Mayor Gloria share a similar approach to governance, focusing on sustainable urban development, consumerism, the regeneration of old cities, and social housing, among other areas. On behalf of the city government, she thanked Mayor Gloria for his long-term support of exchanges between the two cities and extended an invitation to him to lead a delegation to Taichung in the future to participate in events such as the Taichung Shopping Festival, Hot Pot and Grill Festival, Jazz Festival, and others.
The San Diego Convention Center mentioned that the Taichung City Government is the first Taiwanese delegation to visit in the past five years. They are pleased to facilitate exchanges between the two cities. To mark the completion of the Taichung International Convention and Exhibition Center (TICEC), Shawn VanDiver, Vice Chair of the San Diego Convention Center, presented Mayor Lu with a metal sculpture, “The Flame of Friendship,” symbolizing the passion of the San Diego people and the enduring friendship with Taichung City. Mayor Lu extended a cordial invitation to the team to attend the opening ceremony in Taichung, and both sides engaged in productive discussions about the event.
Before returning to Taiwan, Mayor Lu visited the UTC branch of 85 Degrees C in San Diego and the Hagan branch of J&G Fried Chicken in Los Angeles County to demonstrate her support for the growth of Taiwanese businesses in the United States. In particular, J&G Fried Chicken originated from Taichung and has been expanding its business territory in the U.S. The mayor extended her best wishes to the two shops for success in their endeavors in a foreign market and for continued prosperity.
