Since the launch of the CDIB Capital Regional Revitalization Action Implementation Plan in 2023, X-Basic Planning has been commissioned by CDIB Capital and HAYASHI office to implement this project for two consecutive sessions. We are honored to work with the project director, Professor Lin Cheng-i, to promote the concept of local revitalization. We accompany local teams from all corners of Taiwan to gradually realize their visions, and developing innovative and sustainable business approaches derived from local cultural contexts.
For X-Basic Planning, a building is not merely an inorganic structure of bricks and tiles, but an organism carrying urban culture, constructing the spatial characteristics of each neighborhood as they evolve through the ages. However, imbalance and changes in urban and rural development are causing many landscapes to quietly disappear, with complex factors such as changes in the industrial environment and weakening sense of identity playing key roles—therefore, we view old houses as carriers of local potential, believing that their ‘rebirth’ should be closely integrated with local contexts, thereby forming a mutually beneficial cycle.
This year, we continue to prioritize the spirit of “Not finished yet, standing together. Being there, going the extra mile.” Through planning workshops, reading clubs, market activities, and site visits, we incorporate the experience accumulated by our team in promoting regional revitalization, aiming to reconnect places, people, and spaces, and together rediscover the abundant vitality of the land.
This year’s project teams focus on diverse issues, including local food culture promotion, beehive design, traditional craft transformation and revival, and reuse of fishing industry waste. During the implementation period of over five months, the X-Basic team has consistently provided assistance as ‘companions,’ inviting experts from various fields as mentors, building capacity through site visits, empowerment courses and workshops, and developing new approaches through brainstorming processes.
Although most teams initially adopted an independent implementation model, this time, beyond the existing workshops and charity days, the reading club specially arranged by Professor Lin Cheng-i unexpectedly facilitated actual exchanges and subsequent collaboration between teams. In addition, we invited the previous participating team Pan Tun International to share their implementation experience, passing on the sustainable spirit and practical knowledge of the project to this year’s partners.
Beyond organizational empowerment and local networking, the ‘social impact’ that the Local Revitalization Action Implementation Plan can bestow upon teams is also a major focus. For this purpose, KGI Financial Group has held charity markets for two consecutive years, with X-Basic Planning helping to invite teams, allowing products developed with everyone’s dedication to be showcased. This year’s charity day market with the theme of ‘Local Revitalization’ similarly launched on the last Friday before Christmas, with various teams transforming their passion for the land into creative products and cultural experiences, conveying the uniqueness and beauty of various parts of Taiwan through concrete actions.
We sincerely thank CDIB Capital Group and HAYASHI office for their invitation, allowing X-Basic Planning not only to care for urban and rural issues with our professional expertise but also to actually participate and work alongside local teams. Although we faced many challenges during this period—such as coordinating the schedules of CDIB Capital staff, mentors, project partners, and the X-Basic team, which was a major undertaking, with the effort spent on communication and coordination often exceeding expectations—it was precisely through these solid interactions that we were able to witness up close the difficulties of local regeneration, thereby conserving the precious momentum of the participating teams.
Among these, Tong Li Seafood proposed a recycling project for abandoned clam shells, which left a deep impression on Tsai Yu-hsuan, the Team Leader of Cross-disciplinary Planning Department who was responsible for implementing this project at X-Basic. The sisters who run the business maintained their original intention throughout the project period, simply based on the spirit of environmental sustainability, repurposing waste from aquaculture into products such as diffuser stones, coasters, and eco-friendly cat litter, rather than viewing it as a means to pursue commercial interests. Their attitude of maintaining passion for their core business is admirable.
Reflecting on the experience of implementing two sessions of the project, X-Basic Planning has always focused on its role as a connector and facilitator. Through actual participation, X-Basic has begun to consider the possibility of deeper involvement in planning in the future. That all the effort and cultivation ultimately received recognition from CDIB Capital executives is the most direct encouragement and support for X-Basic colleagues, making all challenges particularly meaningful.
The dedication of ten project teams has injected endless regenerative energy into various parts of the island, allowing the public to see how place names and memories about to be forgotten beneath the rapidly changing faces of cities, countryside, rivers, and forests can find their footing in contemporary society. The CDIB Capital Local Revitalization Action Implementation Plan is not a phase-based task, but a long-term journey toward cultural and environmental sustainability. We look forward to witnessing more creative seeds rooted in the land sprouting and thriving in the future, becoming an ecological network that shelters the local environment and supports the coexistence of all living things.
