Taipei's million-dollar public art bus shelter runs into trouble; city orders fixes before final acceptance
Taipei's city government is under fire for a costly art-themed bus shelter in Wenshan District that is already falling apart before it even opens — bad news for taxpayers and for the city's public art program.
- The shelter cost over NT$4 million and was designed with plants on the roof to echo the local hillside scenery.
- The rooftop planting is already thin and withered, and residents have mocked it as "grass growing on the roof."
- After heavy rain, rust-colored water dripped onto the ground, raising fears the structure will corrode faster.
- The local borough chief warned against the rooftop plants during selection, but the city ignored the advice and never explained the design at community meetings.
- The city's development bureau says it will review the maintenance plan and force the contractor to fix every defect before final acceptance.
Outlook: The shelter is due to be finished in October, and the city has promised repairs to materials and planting before it signs off.