Old Streets in Taiwan: Underground Utilities and Repaved Surfaces

A Taiwanese old street that has undergone human-centered renovation. The renovation focuses on three key areas: first, the sky—all overhead wires and utility poles have been buried underground, resulting in a clean skyline and fully visible old building facades; second, the ground—the original asphalt and broken sidewalks have been replaced with flush stone paving, creating a seamless, barrier-free surface; third, utilities—all inspection manholes are integrated into the paving in a refillable manner. On both sides, preserved Hokkien or Japanese-style old house facades are visible, with clear details of gables, washed aggregate, and terrazzo. Motorcycles are guided to a designated parking area at the alley entrance. Shop outdoor displays are kept within marked boundaries. Avoid: retaining overhead wires and utility poles, using traditional sidewalks with distinct height differences, renovating old house facades into commercialized faux-antique styles, or allowing motorcycles to park in the middle of the street.

Translated from Chinese by AI.

一條完成人本化改造的台灣老街。改造的重點有三:一是天空——原本密布的電線與電桿全部下地,天際線因此乾淨,老建築的立面完整可見;二是地面——原本的柏油與破碎人行道改為齊平的石材鋪面,無高差、無障礙;三是管線——所有的檢修孔以可回填的方式整合進鋪面。兩側是保留的閩南或日式老屋立面,山牆、洗石子與磨石子的細節清楚。街道上有機車被引導到巷口的停放區。店家的外擺在劃設的界線內。避免:保留架空的電線與電桿、使用高差分明的傳統人行道、把老屋立面翻新成仿古商品化、讓機車停在街道中央。