The Japanese government is eager to save disappearing townships. To solve these social problems, the Japanese government promulgated the “Placemaking” policy in 2014, hoping to create employment opportunities in townships and allow teenagers to return, so as to manifest the local economy renaissance. In order to balance the urban-rural development, the NDC of the Taiwanese government has been promoting the concept of “Placemaking through Design Overturn,” which explores the local cultural base via design overturn workers, so as to transform the venue, design, food, art, or culture. In recent years, Can Culture Art and Nature also begin to practices the concept of placemaking in Sanxia, aiming at creating a community cycle of mutual benefit. It also cultivates talents who stay in their hometowns, create working opportunities in the community, preserve the traditional industry, and re-market and promote the industries with the energy of community design in multiple aspects. We continuously dig deep into the cultural base of Sanxia, and explore more possibilities in Sanxia through the integration of external resources.
Cultivate Talents Who Stay in Hometown
Keep talents and prevent people from running off to urban cities are certain top priorities for placemaking. We cultivate high-risk children in the community at the Grass Book House and work with local artisans to help children exploring their future and allow the skills of artisans to pass down. At the same time, the community will have more capable talents who stay.
Create Working Opportunities in the Community
Can Culture Art and Nature created the community store, Hidekawa Soybean Products, which helps us to promote the concept of good food in Taiwan, but also provide employment opportunities and a second career to parents, high-risks teenagers in the community, so as to build up a mutual benefit cycle for the community’s own, realizing self-sufficiency and fulfilling different requirements in the community.
Preserve Traditional Industry to Market and Reform the Local Industries
Preserving traditional industries helps to provide employment opportunities in the community and the comprehensive supply-demand industrial chain in the community, preventing industries from the derailment, which is the most significant part of placemaking. Through re-design and marketing, we allow more people to see traditional industries in Sanxia, provide the chance for such traditional industries to survive, and increase their demand for human force, opening up employment opportunities in the community.
Placemaking is undoubtedly a critical issue. What really helps urban-rural transformation is not some short-term work. We do not forget the original intention, and we keep making changes to make Sanxia better and better.