The Study of Urban Image in Taipai Area

本研究計劃旨在了解一個經歷急速都市化的第三世界國家，其都市意象所具備的特性，並使環境規劃與設計作業者得以初步瞭解眾多台北市居民、使用者心目中所覺知、認識及評估的台北市實質環境。研究過程中結合了書寫、繪圖與訪談等調查方法，所得之意象資料均予以分項統計及分析，以達到下例四項目標：（一）初步建立台北地區公共意象之特性。（二）概略比較都市內部不同社經團體所擁有之都市意象。（三）試提都市規劃與設計之相關建議。（四）尋求一個可供規劃與設計專業者在作業過程中可實際應用之意象調查法。透過意象調查所得，各有關專業者可以對目前台北市外部之實質地景與其存在於居民心目中之內部地景間的關聯及互動有所瞭解，從而逐步建立起?多市民心目中所擁有之理想都市意象，並以此?基礎來進一步檢討。補充未來都市之實質建設都市形式之經營等所依循的?則和方針。最終之目的?在於促使台北地區之實質建設與發展在急劇都市化的壓力下，仍能有助於其整體環境之可居性與獨特之地點感，進而增進市民之歸屬感與擁有感。換言之。亦?使都市之實質環境在促使居民開發、建設和分享豐富且合乎人性的都市生活方面，能扮演一個積極而有效的角色。Concentrated economic development in the past few decades has resulted in the rapid urbanization and commercialization in Taiwan Dramatic changes in urban scale and urban structure have been parelling with the disintegration of traditional values and social norms Conflicts on every front are experienced as un-relenting pressure in the daily life of city inhabitants, whose number is increasing with an unprecedent speed in and aroud the metropolitan area of Taipei We believe that the quality of urban experiences and the related urban form is a question that cannot be passed over or put off in the midst of an urban environs marked by crowdiness, tension and chaos Furthermore, a study of urban image will provide the various environmental professionals with some understanding of the effects of their combined efforts as perceived, cognized and evaluated by their intended users The main objectives thus included (1) a basic understanding of the urban image of a rapidly urbanized city in a third world nation (2) a preliminary comparison between images held by different socio-economic groups, (3) tentative suggestions of guidelines for management of urban form, (4) review of feasible methods of image study to be adopted in planning and design. The project was stretched out over eighteen months, between summer 1979 and winter 1980 During that tune 338 citizens of Taipei answered our questionnaires and 49 were interviewed Preliminary findings included: (1) Low and limited imagibility (2) A commonly recognized central area and a city boundary indicated mainly by districts except for the west side marked by Tan-Shui River most of the natural landscape surrounding Taipei Basin absent as effective image maker organizer. (3) A predominant N-S axis and a pattern of districts and locales approximating the historic development of the city which originated in the early 18th century clearly established edge limited to Tan Shui River whereas districts are typically loosely defined. (4) Unfavorable evaluation of the environmental quality in general dominating over perception or cognition of specific physical elements or characters, a unique sense of temporal sequence with a pronounced forward looking mentality, "chaos" of various forms and nature the major element in urban living as well as the urban environment. Based on the above findings, some related suggestions were made with an emphasis on exploring the historic, natural and formal resources of the city Above al1, a mutually re-enforcing interaction between the historic and contemporary urban orders should he enhanced, in order to Provide a stablizing and structuring backbone for new developments, and to derive a unique sense of place and city identity from the study will lead to other works on urban image and thus open up direct channels between the professionals and the city inhabitants Together we may yet build a city that will fulfill the needs and expectations of her dwellers We thus ended this report with a review of related methods of image study