Presenter: Yi-Ling Chen (University of Wyoming)

This paper deals with changing urban referencing in Taipei City after democratization by applying theories of policy mobility and using the research method of participatory observation to “follow policy changes” for three decades. In the 1990s, Globalizing Taipei was a new urban development strategy for the city that was undergoing economic restructuring and new democratic governance. The new goal transformed the logic of urban planning towards neoliberal urbanism. Housing speculation was intensified by pro-developer urban policies. In 2010, serious problems of housing affordability mobilized the social housing movement, inspired by Amsterdam, where 40% of the total housing stock is social housing. This paper argues that the geopolitical situation of Taiwan is a crucial factor in policy mobility in addition to the economic crisis. The desire to be global is always the underlying force for choosing a new learning model. This case study of Taiwan’s urban development after democratization contributes to the literature on urban developmentalism. Finally, the paper concludes that the mobility process is selective, so Amsterdam serves as a mere inspiration. Neoliberalism hinders both Dutch and Taiwanese social housing policies to achieve housing justice.