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Home > Asian Insider > S2E56: The one design feature that makes Taiwan ‘ugly’


	Podcast:		Asian Insider
	Episode:		S2E56: The one design feature that makes Taiwan ‘ugly’
	Category:		News & Politics
	Duration:		00:16:26
	Publish Date:		2026-01-01 16:00:00
	Description:		Metal window grilles were meant to keep households safe from burglars but they have been fingered as eyesores Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times catches up with its foreign correspondents about life and trends in the countries they're based in. One of Taiwan’s names is "Formosa" - given by Portuguese sailors who sighted the island in the 16th century and called it “Beautiful Island” given its natural wonders such as mountains, forests and hot springs. In more recent times though, Taiwanese officials and designers have complained about a man-made blight across its cities: ubiquitous, often rusty, metal grilles criss-crossing windows. They surface a larger discussion about the pace of urban renewal in Taiwan - a challenge that many Asian cities face, given the competing imperatives between urban renewal, heritage conservation and the rights of homeowners. Highlights (click/tap above): 01:00 The ugly truth about Taipei's buildings 02:06 Taiwan's window bars mystery 04:53 The beauty behind the rust 07:42 Challenges in urban redevelopment 12:12 Cycling and pedestrian safety in Taiwan Read Yip Wai Yee’s article here: https://str.sg/7U6y Read Li Xueying’s articles: https://str.sg/iqmR Follow Li Xueying on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/ip4x Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz Host: Li Xueying (xueying@sph.com.sg) Edited by: Fa’izah Sani Executive producer: Ernest Luis Follow Asian Insider on Fridays here: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7 Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8 Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg --- Follow more ST podcast channels: All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7 Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa --- Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section: The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX --- #STAsianInsider See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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