The art of calligraphy and the play of a brush dancing on a bamboo scroll inspired our urban planners and designers to create the Calligraphy Greenway to be a stainable urban open space system that integrates with its natural environment, the communities, and the local economy.
The Calligraphy Greenway is a portion of the Taichung Greenbelt, which functions as an extensive layout that connects a series of linear parks, scenic attractions, school campuses, and other open spaces in the city. It also makes a critical junction and buffer zone between the old and re-planned districts. From the National Science Museum to the National Art Museum, it stretches and meanders within a 3.6 km long urban fabric and covers a 6.5 hectare open space.
After the City of Taichung was awarded a “World’s Best Cultural and Arts City” by the World Leadership Forum in 2007, the city embarked on an agenda to revitalize the existing three kilometer pedestrian greenbelt in an effort to rejuvenate the city and attract tourists and locals. The regeneration project would incorporate innovation, sustainability, recreation and leisure and entertainment, and reconnect the greenbelt to the lifestyle of its adjacent communities.
The Greenway has dramatically promoted the retail activities and increased the value of the adjacent properties, improving tax base and desirability of the area. It also attracts many local residents to experience the open space, which is endowed with expressive aesthetic design language and cultural atmosphere. It has become a place for city activities and performances, and a part of people’s lives.