DPP candidate outlines vision for expanding public housing

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Lai Ching-te on Tuesday (Dec. 26) proposed using just 5% of land in New Taipei City's Wen Tzu-tsun redevelopment area to build an additional 10,000 units of public housing.

According to reports, Lai's plan surpasses the 2,100 units currently planned by his contender, New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih from the Kuomintang (KMT).

Speaking during his second presidential policy presentation, Lai added that if local government officials, including Mayor Hou, are unwilling or unable to implement these suggestions, they can sell back the land to the government at its original price for construction.

Furthermore, Lai announced plans to increase the goal of constructing public housing from 200,000 units to over 330,000 units through trustee management, ultimately reaching a 300,000-unit goal.

Addressing land sources for public housing, Lai Ching-te suggested that during urban land redesignation or district expropriation, a non-special municipality could be required to offer 3% of its land area, while a special municipality could be asked to provide 5% for public housing.