Taipei's Outdoor Smoking Areas Criticized as 'Dog Cages,' Dubbed 'Brainless City'

Taipei's initiative to create a "smoke-free city" has drawn sharp criticism with the recent installation of outdoor smoking areas that resemble "dog cages" or "prisons." Media personality Zhan Lingyu lambasted the new facilities, questioning their efficacy and design. "I looked for 3 seconds and seriously wondered if the equipment from a stray animal shelter had been misplaced. What's the difference between smoking inside and outside? The only difference is that smokers have an extra cage to stand in. Secondhand smoke? It still drifts. Passersby? They still inhale it," Zhan stated.

Zhan contrasted Taipei's structures with the sophisticated smoking lounges found in Seoul, South Korea. Seoul's facilities feature glass enclosures, independent air conditioning, and negative pressure ventilation to contain smoke. In contrast, Taipei's smoking area at the Huaxi Street Night Market is described as a simple metal shed with four open sides. Zhan further mocked the rules, pointing out the absurdity of prohibiting pregnant women and individuals under 20 from entering a structure that cannot even contain smoke. "This cage can't even keep the smoke in, who is it supposed to keep out?"

Critics argue that the city government, led by Mayor Chiang Wan-an, is prioritizing appearances over substance. While promoting a "smoke-free city," the administration has struggled to build sufficient negative pressure smoking rooms due to cost. Instead, they have opted for these rudimentary cages, apparently without consulting nearby businesses. Zhan argued that the core of a smoke-free policy should be reducing smoking rates and aiding cessation, not spending public funds on "art installations" that merely create the illusion of progress. "Seoul can do it, Taipei creates a dog cage. This is not a smoke-free city, it's a brainless city," Zhan concluded, encapsulating the widespread sentiment of disappointment and ridicule.