Efforts by the North Coast and Guanyinshan Scenic Area Administration (the Administration) to improve the facilities and services at Heping Island via the "Renewal of Heping Island Park in Keelung" project received an "Outstanding" award at the "2022 IFLA AAPME” landscape architecture awards in the Culture and Traditions category. IFLA is the “International Federation of Landscape Architects,” and AAPME is “Africa, the Asia Pacific, and the Middle East.
Balancing environmental and recreational elements, the Administration enhanced the park’s rich unique local human history and geology, in part by removing unnecessary elements. Visitors can now enjoy a more moving and interactive experience with the natural landscape. In addition, facilities were improved to make the park more accessible. The project design made the park more environmentally-friendly while improving comfort and helping to support tourism efforts.
Many approaches were used to improve the park’s accessibility, including improvements to its trails, activity areas and signage. In addition to the IFLA award, the project was also recognized by the "2018 Svayam Accessibility Awards” (Most Accessible Tourist Attraction), as well as the 9th "Taiwan Landscape Awards" (Outstanding).
The IFLA awards had 318 nominees from the Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. Of these, 22 were from Taiwan. The Heping Island project not only received the top prize in its category, but it was also Taiwan’s most successful nominee. The award provides great encouragement to the Administration and its planning teams.
In 2018, the Administration brought in a private sector professional management team to enhance the quality, convenience and diversity of activities at the Heping Island Park. Since then, a series of popular events have been held in cooperation with the local community. These include the "Island Life Festival" and the "Trends and Waves" event. Such efforts link the local culture, local specialties and other tourism resources with in-depth, close-to-nature experiences, thus promoting the culture of Heping Island and the themes of slow travel and sustainability. In addition to the beautiful scenery, visitors can enjoy water activities, catering services and local features. Guided tours of the rocky landscape’s history and culture are available, as are outdoor games, environmental education courses and seasonal activities. Together, these provide an in-depth experience of the Heping Island Park.
According to Administration Director Chen Mei-hsiu, the North Coast and Guanyinshan Scenic Area has been improved in recent years through better overall planning based on the core concepts of landscaping, environmental improvement, tourism and sustainability. These allow tourists with an enhanced opportunity to experience the natural landscape, while also improving the quality of sightseeing and recreational activities. This approach helps to meet a broader diversity of needs. The IFLA award for the Heping Park project is a great affirmation of the team’s hard work. It encourages them to go beyond their comfort zone as they continue their efforts to provide international-level facilities, experiences and convenience at the park.
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IFLA is a global alliance of landscape architects with 77 member associations from Africa, the Americas, the Asia-Pacific and Europe. It’s a non-profit, non-political, and non-governmental organization. IFLA's member associations have close ties with the UN and UNESCO, and represent the world's landscape architects.
IFLA promotes the landscape architecture profession through partnerships with allied “built-environment” professions, working together to ensure the highest standards in education, training, research and professional practices. IFLA also provides leadership and stewardship in areas such as environmental protection and global sustainability.
IFLA’s official website
