Li Sichuan says he would tailor New Taipei policies to each district’s needs

New Taipei’s 29 districts face different problems, and a future mayor must respond to them individually, Kuomintang candidate Li Sichuan said during an online livestream interview.

Li said he would prioritize solving local difficulties if elected. He also promised to review the city’s floor-area ratios and improve the efficiency of urban renewal projects.

He acknowledged that redevelopment remains difficult in many older communities. Some residents hope to exchange one ping of an old property for one ping of a new one, he said, but land values and available floor area make that difficult.

Li identified two main obstacles: negotiations among private owners and the speed of government reviews. Public agencies should not take control of private negotiations, he said, while official reviews must remain careful to protect residents’ rights. The government should therefore simplify procedures and improve efficiency.

For the final holdouts in redevelopment projects, Li said public authorities would need to carry out forced demolition where legally required. He also argued that higher floor-area ratios could provide a stronger incentive for renewal, noting that some older people buy new homes for their children while continuing to live in older apartments without elevators. Those buildings, he said, often have weaker earthquake and disaster protection. Li said he would reassess New Taipei’s floor-area ratios after taking office to accelerate redevelopment.