Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Ko Chih-en proposes three solutions for old commercial district revitalization

Ko Chih-en, a candidate for Kaohsiung mayor, has unveiled a three-pronged strategy to revitalize the city's aging commercial districts and encourage young residents to stay. Central to her plan is the creation of a "Revitalizing Kaohsiung Economic Matchmaking Platform." This initiative aims to identify vacant storefronts and markets in older urban areas, offering tax breaks and rent subsidies to attract innovative businesses and key merchants.

The platform's goal is to inject new life into these areas by facilitating the entry of young entrepreneurs and their creative ventures. Ko expressed concern over the decline of once-vibrant streets, emphasizing the need to spread prosperity beyond a few select areas and foster continuous industrial upgrading. Her approach focuses on space activation, urban regeneration, and industrial transformation.

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Seeing some once-prosperous streets gradually become deserted, many Kaohsiung residents feel it is a pity. Kaohsiung has great development potential, and the city's prosperity should not be concentrated in only a few areas.

Beyond revitalizing old commercial streets, Ko's vision extends to urban renewal centered around Kaohsiung Station. This area is poised for significant development with planned A-grade office buildings and international hotels. Coupled with incentives for young entrepreneurs, this aims to create an environment that supports both established businesses and emerging startups. The plan also leverages the existing underground railway green corridor to connect commercial activities across districts like Gushan, Yancheng, Sanmin, and Fengshan.

Furthermore, Ko intends to upgrade Kaohsiung's service sector through an "Industry Transformation Plan." This involves allocating resources to assist small and medium-sized enterprises with digital transformation, establishing a "Digital Transformation Guidance Group," and integrating industry, government, and academic expertise. The initiative will accelerate the adoption of AI and cloud technologies to develop new service industries such as smart healthcare, remote education, and intelligent logistics, thereby generating more high-paying job opportunities. Encouraging local businesses to form cross-industry alliances for a one-stop e-commerce platform is also part of the strategy to promote Kaohsiung brands internationally.

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Reducing vacant spaces is just the first step; more importantly, we need to bring back foot traffic and business opportunities.