To challenge the perception of parking lots as cold, concrete spaces, the Taichung City Government Transportation Bureau commissioned CYUT to launch Taiwan’s first Parking Landscape Chief Consultant System. CYUT’s Department of Architecture hosted the “Ecology × Smart × Inclusive Parking Revitalization Workshop,” bringing together more than 60 experts from industry, government, and academia to explore innovative, people-friendly, and sustainable parking designs at three pilot sites in Dongshi, Wuqi, and South District.

Professor Shih-Jen Feng, the project lead, explained that this marked the first time design thinking had been applied to Taichung’s public parking projects through a workshop format. Senior decision-makers from Taiwan’s leading parking operators joined city officials and staff in active discussions, demonstrating a strong commitment to transforming parking facilities into “urban green oases.” The shared goal is to revitalize aging parking lots into spaces that combine functionality, local character, and environmental sustainability.

During the workshop, CYUT faculty, graduate students, and participants developed site-specific redesign concepts for three parking lots with no existing greenery. Proposals focused on blending parking spaces with mountain landscapes in Dongshi, using wind- and salt-resistant planting in coastal Wuqi, and introducing cooling greenery in dense urban areas to create shared community spaces. Guided by the L.I.F.E. framework—Landscape, Innovation, Friendly design, and Efficiency, the project establishes a new model for sustainable, people-centered urban parking design.