Governmental institutions in relation to planning

The governmental institutions in Taiwan was transffered from the system in Mainland

China which was initially designed according to Sun Yat-Sen’s 1 theory, Three Principles o f People. The current planning adm inistration in Taiwan consists o f the central governm ent and local government.

(1) The Central Level:

At the central level, the Executive Yuan under the President's supervision consists o f two primary planning authorities, the Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) and the Ministry o f the Interior (M OI) (see Figure 3.1).

According to the C E P D s official website, it serves in an advisory capacity to the Executive Yuan. The CEPD is responsible for:

Drafting overall plans for national economic development;

Evaluating developm ent projects, proposals, and programmes submitted to the Executive Yuan;

Coordinating the economic policymaking activities o f Ministries and agencies;

M onitoring the implementation o f development projects, measures, and programmes. (CEPD Website www.cepd.gov.tw, accessed 27th A pr 2006).

Under the CEPD (see Figure 3.2), the Department o f Urban and Housing Development has responsibility for preparing the National Comprehensive Development Plan (NCDP) and coordination o f urban and regional development, housing construction, environmental protection and related issues. It is also responsible for reviewing and studying policies in relation to land, housing, urban and regional development.

1 Sun Y at-Sen is called as Father o f R epublic o f China.

Wo

F igure 3.2 CEPD O rganisation C h a rt

Source: C E P D w w w .cep d .gov.tw (A ccessed 5 lh A ug 2005)

T h e D e partm ent o f Urban and H ousing D evelo p m e n t u nder the C E P D is also responsible for review ing the coordination and prom otion o f conservation, and important public investm ent and private participation so as to raise the quality o f the living environm ent, establishing an efficient production en vironm e nt and maintain

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ecological and environm entally sustainable development.

Parallel to the CEPD, there is the Construction and Planning Administration (CPA) under the M inistry o f the Interior (MOI). The CPA consists o f ten operational units, including that is six departments and four adm inistrative offices (see Figure 3.3).

The CPA manages a multitude o f affairs ranging from regional planning, urban planning, public housing, building regulations to public works. Those divisions related to land use planning are the:

Comprehensive Planning Division: it is in charge o f the drafting o f urban development policies, the revision and explanation o f urban planning laws, reviewing and approving urban planning cases as well as the planning, coordination and promotion o f metropolitan, new town and new community plans.

Urban and Rural Planning Office: it is in charge o f national, regional, urban and local planning in Taiwan and related support activities, such as topographic surveying, information management, and studies o f urban planning reform.

Land Administration Division: it is responsible for services related to non-urban land zoning and land use control (CPA http://www.cpami.gov.tw/, accessed 22nd March 2006).

ONOs

Negotiation and direction committee o f acquiring public facility reservation land o f urban planning Construction Fund Management Committee

the Organization o f the Disciplinary Committee for Architects and the Disciplinary Action Review Committee for Architects

— Building Technology Review Committee

The Deliberation Committee o f Urban Design in Danhai New Town The Deliberation Committee o f Urban Design in Kaohsiung New Town

Promotion and Deliberation Committee o f Construction Broadband Channel Project Decreasing o f occupational accidents task force .

Planning A dm inistration D iv isio n

~ Management A dm inistration D iv is io n . Yangmingshan N ational Park Headquarters

■ Taroko N ational Park Headquarters . Shei-Pa N ational Park Headquarters . Kinmen N ational Park Headquarters . Marin* National Park Headquarters

Land Reclamation O f f ic e , C onstru ction and Planning Agency Heavy Equipment C onstruction C orps, C onstru ction and Planning

• Agency

■ Urban and Rural Planning Office, Construction and Planning A gency

•Northern Engineering O ffic e ( fo r temporary m issio n s )

■Central E ngineering O ffic e ( fo r temporary m issio n s ) -Southern Engineering O ffic e ( fo r temporary m issio n s )

Sewage Systems O ffic e ( fo r temporary m issio n s )

In addition, the CPA’s superior ministry, the MOI, also supervises functional com missions which are relevant to land use planning, such as the Regional Planning Committee, National Park Committee, Urban Planning Committee, etc. Among them, the Urban Planning Committee and Regional Planning Committee are responsible for reviewing urban plans submitted by local governments and they play a significant role in the change o f land use. Their functions will become clearer in the case studies presented in this thesis.

The head o f adm inistration at the central level is the Premier o f the Executive Yuan who is appointed by the President and is scrutinised by the Legislative Yuan. Both the President and legislators are re-elected every four years.

(2) The Local Level

At the local level, between 1945 and 1999, there was a complex three-tier administrative structure before Taiwan Provincial Government was streamlined (1945-1999). Two metropolises, Taipei and Kaohsiung, are municipalities directly under the jurisdiction o f the central government, whilst the remaining territories belonged to Taiwan Provincial Government until 1999. Under Taiwan Provincial Government, there were 16 counties and 5 cities consisting o f towns, villages and c itie s 2 . The Taiwan Provincial Government was stream linedJ as a result o f

‘ There are three types o f cities in T aiw anese administrative hierarchy, m unicipality e.g . K aohsiung C ity, city equivalent to county, e.g. Tainan City, and city under a county, e.g. B anciao City under Taipei County.

J There is still a Taiwan Provincial G overnm ent O ffice appointed by the Premier o f the E xecutive Yuan. The purpose o f the Provincial G overnm ent O ffice is to maintain a connection w ith mainland China w hich the R epublic o f China governm ent w ithdrew from in 1949. M aintaining a Provincial G overnm ent O ffice has b ecom e a sym bol to em phasise the perceived connection.

Government Restructuring in 1999, and those planning authorities o f the Provincial Government, i.e. the Construction Bureau, the Land Office, the Housing and Urban Development Bureau, and the Urban and Regional Planning Commission, were incorporated into the CPA. In other words, since 1999, the local level comprises two parallel systems: one is the municipality; and the other is the tw o-tier administrative structure, cities and counties and their following towns, villages and cities (Figure 3.4).

The heads o f local governments are mayors o f cities or magistrates o f counties who are re-elected every four years and are monitored by local councils which consist o f councillors re-elected every four years as well. There is an Urban Planning Commission in each city or county and its members are appointed by the mayor or the magistrate. However, the department at local level managing planning affairs can vary and is dependant on the structure o f local government. For the two municipalities, the Department o f Urban Development (Taipei City) or the Urban Development Bureau (Kaohsiung City) deals with planning activities, while there is an Urban Planning Commission appointed by the city mayor who is responsible for development control and planning permission.

Os I irlmn A region*! plans reviewing iiutftttt ion Be incuipondctl in lo cenlmi government

□ Local Government