SMARTCITY TAIPEI

Civic Participation: College Curriculum Cooperation

The Taipei City Government is committed to promoting mechanisms such as open data and public-private partnerships to encourage public participation in public affairs. By soliciting suggestions from citizens and incorporating a citizen-centric approach, the government aims to improve services to better meet users’ needs and uphold the spirit of "open government, citizen participation." To expand citizen engagement in smart city initiatives and leverage the momentum from academic research, the city organizes the annual "Civic Participation: College Curriculum Cooperation." Through this platform, the expertise and energy from academia are integrated into the development process of the city's smart initiatives.

2019 Civic Participation: College Curriculum Cooperation

During this year, we collaborated with  4 teachers from 3 colleges, resulting in 24 research reports produced by students. To showcase the students' research outcomes, we organized the "Citizen Participation Curriculum Collaboration End-of-Term Exhibition" from February 17th to December 20th in 2019. Throughout the event, we conducted marketing activities and collected a total of 384 valid questionnaires. Additionally, we received over 350 message notes filled with encouragement for the exhibiting students and the Taipei City Government.

Furthermore, to facilitate direct communication and exchange between the government and academia, and to deepen the spirit of "open government" and "citizen participation" among colleagues in the bureaus and departments, we held the "Citizen Participation Curriculum Collaboration Presentation Competition" in the morning of December 19th of 2019. Eight outstanding student teams selected from those who participated in the coursework collaboration were invited to join the competition. Representatives from relevant bureaus and departments served as judges of the event, collectively selecting the best proposals. The competition attracted a total of 128 participants, including government officials, professors, and students.

2020 Civic Participation: College Curriculum Cooperation

During this year, we collaborated with 2 colleges through 4courses, producing a total of 18 research reports by students.

In the later stages of the collaboration, we held the "Citizen Participation Curriculum Collaboration End-of-Term Exhibition" from March 18th to March 25th, 2020 at the Taipei City Hall. We collaborated the "Systems Thinking and Decision Analysis" course and "Administrative Statistics" course from the Department of Public Administration of National Chengchi University, and the "Municipal Planning and Development" and "Urban and Regional Development" courses from the Department of Social and Public Affairs of National Taipei University. Together, we showcased the research outcomes of 32 collaborative courses, presenting a diverse range of findings.

During the event, we conducted a "Fill Out the Questionnaire and Receive a Gift" activity, and in total, we collected 355 valid questionnaires. The event was a success in engaging students and faculty members, and it provided valuable insights and outcomes from the collaborative efforts.

2021 Civic Participation: College Curriculum Cooperation

To enhance citizen participation in building a smarter Taipei City and to leverage the momentum from academic research, this year, we continued the “Civic Participation: College Curriculum Cooperation.” Aligning with the academic semesters of higher education institutions, we, for the first time, conducted a collaboration that spanned both the autumn and spring semesters. A total of 38 student groups 8 teachers from 5 colleges and universities engaged  in 7 courses in this collaborative research initiative.

In the later stages of the collaboration, we held an outcome exhibition from May 11th to May 20th, 2021 at the courtyard of the Taipei City Hall. The exhibition lasted for 10 days and showcased 12 project display boards featuring the research outcomes of 36 student groups. During the event, the execution team worked on promoting the activities, resulting in coverage from 6 media outlets.

Throughout the exhibition, we collected a total of 512 valid questionnaires from visitors. The satisfaction rate (including "very satisfied" and "satisfied" responses) reached an impressive 94.3%, indicating a highly positive response from the attendees. This successful outcome demonstrated the effectiveness of the annual "Citizen Participation: Smart Taipei Academic Research Collaboration Platform" in promoting the achievements of Taipei City's smart city initiatives through collaboration with the citizens and academic community.

2022 Civic Participation: College Curriculum Cooperation

During the 2022, Civic Participation: College Curriculum Cooperation collaborated with  5 professors from 4 universities in both the: autumn and spring semesters, involving a total of 41 student groups in research projects. With the support and planning from professors at institutions like National Taipei University, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, National Chengchi University, and Soochow University, we incorporated topics such as Taipei Smart City policies and open data governance into the courses. The goal was to encourage young students to understand and analyze policies related to their respective fields of expertise and produce learning and research reports.

As the collaboration spanned two semesters, we held two outcome exhibitions. In the autumn semester, the presentation competition took place on January 5th, 2023, at the 5th floor Clipper Studio in the Syntrend Creative Park, under the theme of "Integrating the Virtual and the Real." The event had the physical presence of 80 attendees, including 13 distinguished guests and 67 students. Additionally, we live-streamed the event on the Taipei Smart City Project Office's Facebook, reaching 353 views In the spring semester, the outcome exhibition and presentation were held on June 13th, 2023, at the Taipei Urban Intelligence Center, in a physical event with 52 attendees, including government officials, professors, and students.