Magistrate April Yao leads the Taitung County Government Team to promote Taitung’s Slow Economy: a natural and true development economic model. Yao believes as the world becomes more internationalized, cities need to further develop their local assets, only then will that place’s true value be shown. In the case of Taitung, it’s not better for a million visitors who visit once, but rather ten-thousand visitors making one-hundred return visits, cementing their lasting impressions and memories of Taitung. In recent years, many local groups have created many excellent examples of regional revitalization by using Taitung’s superior natural environment and deep inside knowledge of its ethnic communities.
This year’s Taiwan Placemaking Festival will have 600 placemakers from regional revitalization groups coming from all over Taiwan. They will be visiting 11 locations between the East Coast, the South-Link, the East Rift Valley, and Taitung City to observe, learn, and network. It serves as a stage for these groups to organically cultivate Taitung, so that this piece of land’s authenticity, friendliness, and beauty will be seen and understood by all.
