Community Development and Social Capital: The Urban Regeneration Project in Da-Dao-Cheng Historical District

• Main Authors: Yi-ya Liu, 劉逸雅
• Other Authors: Hen-Chun Chen
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2009
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/76680298141945826756

碩士 === 淡江大學 === 公共行政學系公共政策碩士在職專班 === 97 === Urban development has entered a stage of urban regeneration, which is a necessary process for urban development in Taiwan. The essence in policy is to recognize the styles and forms of some old urban areas not as burdens but as assets. In so doing, a project of urban regeneration needs to be launched in a way as to concurrently take into account the various improvement aims in society, economy, culture and genuine environments. This thesis aims to propose a regeneration project for Da-Dao-Cheng to allow it to gradually evolve into a new resilient area, through several constructive steps including: to identify and mobilize the social capital for Da-Dao-Cheng historical district, to urge and organize the concerted efforts comprising public-private partnership and community citizens’ participation, to establish a sustainable community development plan, and to put these steps into actual practice. By effectively facilitating old urban areas that are full of characteristics and regenerating the economy, Da-Dao-Cheng’s features may be gradually improved. Accordingly, based on the mentioned aims, the paper has to tackle the following issues: 1. How to resolve the conflicts brought forth by different economic, cultural and political goals when engaging “The Urban Regeneration Project for Da-Dao-Cheng Historic District?” 2. Do we really need to mobilize abundant social capital and invest it in “The Urban Regeneration Project for Da-Dao-Cheng Historic District?” This thesis adopts several research tools including documents analysis, interviews and questionnaire investigation. The author first engaged documents analysis on social capital, community development, citizens’ participation, and public-private partnership theory. Then, she conducted interviews on pre-qualitatively screened samples to draw significant factors for research basis. And next, she implemented quantitative measurement for variables analysis, and multiple regression analysis on the returned questionnaires to see the relationship among the factors in the questionnaire. The thesis has come up with two findings. (1) Social capital can effectively resolve the conflicts among the mentioned goals: Without a doubt, social capital has played an important role in pushing forward the economic revitalization, rising up the awareness of preserving monuments among local residents, and calling for local citizens’ participation. Social capital also turns a best resort to the conflicts. (2) Da-Dao-Cheng has attracted abundant social capital. In the research, the author has summarized several factors that have great impact on mobilizing and collecting the abundant social capital for the Urban Regeneration Project in Da-Dao-Cheng Historical District, including “structural factor,” featuring the networking structure; “relationship factor,” trust, norms and moral norms; “perception factor,” emotional identity, cost consideration, and faith. Besides, the thesis has proposed some practical recommendations as follows: 1.In community development: (1) More district activities for community development in nature need to be encouraged. For the activities can draw many more community residents to attend and thus can mobilize concrete and sufficient supports for collecting abundant social capital; (2) By applying effective marketing strategy and mechanism, together with commodity marketing and locally unique characteristics marketing, Da-Dao-Cheng is able to preserve its historical district while revitalizing its traditional industries and booming its economy; (3) By fostering the acceptable norms and common practices for the district, the citizens in Da-Dao-Cheng can eventually work out the practical but precious values and norms serve the district goal; 2. A barrier-free bridge needs to be established among government, scholars, experts, and residents: (1) It signifies the important connection between community organization and community leaders; (2) It also helps bridge the gap between local residents and the policy through community meetings or other communication mechanisms; (3) A close cooperation between Li (community) chiefs and community development association is also a must.