Port infrastructure development projects are often associated with negative impacts on the environment and may put pressure to surrounding communities. Taipei Port is still a very young port that began reclamation in 1993 and started its operations in 1997. While planning its further expansion, and being conscious of potential negative externalities to surrounding communities and the environment, Taipei Port simultaneously launched concrete mitigation measures as well as value and surplus sharing initiatives with its local communities, as part of its “good neighborhood program”.
Mitigation measures were implemented along four main areas, namely, environmental quality, information, dangerous cargo, and transportation.
- Targeting environmental quality, and in order to reduce dust, automated conveying systems are used to load and unload bulk cargo, covered storage facilities have been implemented, dredgers are using pipelines to offload material used for reclamation, and filling areas are being covered or planted.
- Aiming at informing the public on the port development activities, an information desk has been set-up at the port administration building, public briefing meetings on construction projects take place regularly, and the results of the environmental monitoring program are transparently disseminated for public review via the port’s website.
- Being aware of the risks and public perception associated to the handling of dangerous cargo in the port, Taipei Port conducts regular disaster prevention drills on a yearly basis, with the participation and active involvement of residents from the surrounding areas.
- Under transportation, a rapid connecting road system was built to address congestion and divert port traffic away from residential areas, together with a green buffer zone between the port area and the urban area.
In addition to the mitigation measures, the Taiwan International Ports Corporation (TIPC) allocates 18% of its after-tax surplus yearly to the city governments where international commercial ports are located. The Bali District Office near Taipei Port received approximately US$1,392,300 in 2023 to be used for social and environmental projects and initiatives.
The outcomes of the dedicated survey highlight that residents agree with Taipei Port’s mitigation measures and surplus sharing initiatives, and believe that the port and the city have a good cooperative relationship. That confirms the successful implementation of Taipei Port’s “good neighborhood program”.