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Making Himself at Home. Hsinchu, Taiwan

As you can see this is a pretty popular spot for having a snooze and this guy is certainly making himself at home. Maybe this is his home.

There is a narrow strip of parks that follow an incredibly polluted channel that flows from just past my neighborhood until you reach the overpass where it takes a break and goes underground. This channel then reappears where this sleeping bench is and diverges in two directions. It's this park land that attracted me to Hsinchu. Well actually a job attracted me to Hsinchu but walking around the neighborhood that follows this channel led me to accept living here vs. a 2 hour commute from Taipei or living way out in the boonies. There is no doubt it is the most successful attempt at creating a good community space here. Past the east gate you have a row of shops on either side, Eslite bookstore, a couple coffee shops, and my favorite restaurant 123 being the included. The part that goes through my neighborhood is framed with older houses and new apartment high rises which bring out people for evening walks. There are also some great restaurants in this area as well. Here you see some rare green grass but you can't walk on it as hundreds of dogs use it as a toilet. No one picks up after their dog.

They are building another strip similar to this out by MacKay hospital. It's a welcome development since it's an area in desperate need of a park. Hsinchu has the population density, "the secret to creating healthier urban environments - with safer streets, better schools, more vibrant cultural and commercial activity, more efficient public transportation, nicer parks, and a less degraded environment." I hope the local government continues to invest in infrastructure that truly benefits the local population vs. high profile but ultimately asinine projects like the Hsinchu Virtual Zoo.