Our Field
Ankang Low-cost Housing and Xinglong Public Housing
Origin
Five-minute drive away from National Chengchi University, Ankang Community is the earliest established and the most large-scale low-cost housing of Taipei City. Back in 1970s, the government launched a series of Public Housing Program to shelter poor households, and was hoping low rents could have enabled labor force in low-income families to work without distraction and thus lifted them out of poverty. However, such policy resulted in an effect contrary to its original purpose, for a heavy concentration of poor households in this area abetted the labelling effect rather than promoted social mobility. Labelled as “the last slum in Taipei,” Ankang Community became more acquiescent and gradually faded out of public sight.
The Turning Point: Xinglong Public Housing Program
It was not until Residence Justice became a political hit did Ankang Community make a comeback to public sight. Being the answer to cap rising housing prices and achieve residence justice at the regional level, the Taipei City Government has instructed to demolish Ankang Low-Cost Flats that have existed for decades and build Xinglong Public Housing. Xinglong Public Housing is a three-phase construction project, of which the area one and two of the first phase were completed in 2015 and 2018 respectively.
契機－興隆社會住宅計畫
As the pace of replacing flats with public housing gradually accelerates, households of Ankang flats are getting more and more worrying. Even if Ankang residents will be able to move to Xinglong Public Housing at a more favorable rent than ordinary households and young people’s households that are the very specific groups defined by the Taipei City Government, the quota is not enough, and the preferential rent is still higher than what they’ve expected, however. To make matter worse, if they take more part-time jobs to compensate for a higher rent, there is a chance they become ineligible for living in Public Housing because of “above the poverty line, below the minimum requirement for a quality life” incomes.
No doubt the construction of Xinglong Public Housing provides an opportunity for delabelling, but for the moment most social problems have yet to be solved.
