Secretariat, Taipei City Government

Taipei Mayor Wan-An Chiang, accompanied by Ambassador Pei-chih Hao, led a city government delegation on a municipal study tour to Paris, France. The first stop of the tour was a visit to Levallois Mayor Agnès Pottier-Dumas and her team to initiate a city-to-city exchange. The two parties engaged in in-depth discussions on topics such as urban infrastructure and sustainable development. Mayor Chiang recalled that Mayor Pottier-Dumas had visited Taiwan in April 2025, at which time Mayor Chiang had promised to return the visit. Fulfilling that promise, he cheerfully declared, “I made it!” Mayor Chiang also expressed hope that his visit would provide valuable experience that could serve as a reference for Taipei’s municipal governance.

Levallois is one of the most densely populated areas in France, with 44 hectares of green space throughout the city and greenery everywhere to be seen. Levallois also ranks among the top four cities in France for public safety, has created more than 60,000 jobs, and attracts numerous commuters from outside the city, exemplifying high livability and economic resilience.

During this exchange, Mayor Pottier-Dumas shared the key achievements of her administration. She noted that Levallois adopts a dual-track urban planning strategy, advancing environmental progress through the simultaneous use of regulatory restrictions and incentive mechanisms. This strategy strictly limits building heights and population density, and mandates the inclusion of green spaces in all new constructions. The strategy also increases coordination between development projects and the city government by introducing land development guidelines and negotiation mechanisms that encourage developers to incorporate greening and sustainability elements at the design stage, establishing a mutually beneficial planning model. 

Mayor Pottier-Dumas added that the city government allocates an environmental protection budget each year and classifies projects on the basis of their influence on the environment. For example, projects with environmental benefits such as park construction are given priority support, whereas purchases of fuel-powered vehicles are cautiously considered. The city also sets loans at preferential interest rates for pro-environmental initiatives, accelerating the implementation of green policies. Mayor Pottier-Dumas also introduced the city’s practices in promoting biodiversity and adopting geothermal energy.

In response to Mayor Chiang’s concern regarding how the city balances job creation with green space preservation, Mayor Dumas replied that although the French central government recommended converting idle commercial office spaces for residential use, she declined to do so because she did not wish to increase population density and compromise the city’s livability. She emphasized that all future new buildings in Levallois must include rooftop gardens, promoting the integrated development of urban greenery and quality of life.1

Mayor Chiang also noted that he had visited Adidas Arena earlier that morning, where he observed the use of geothermal energy for heating and cooling at the venue. He expressed his hope to learn from Levallois's experience. Mayor Dumas explained that geothermal technology was developed 40 years ago but had only recently been applied. Her current technical director, who is from another city that successfully implemented geothermal systems, leveraged their expertise to promote comprehensive transformation in Levallois. Levallois utilizes underground thermal energy and recycles waste heat from data centers for residential heating, which reduces carbon emissions and lowers energy costs by approximately 30%. Mayor Pottier-Dumas noted that local conditions would only require drilling to a depth of approximately 1,500 m to access 60°C hot water, which will be distributed through an underground pipe network. The construction of this network is scheduled to begin next year.

During the exchange, Shyh-Shiun Shyu, Taipei’s Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, expressed particular interest in Levallois’s policies of bird protection and ecological balance. He shared Taipei’s efforts in wetland restoration and vector mosquito control. Mayor Pottier-Dumas stated that Levallois avoids the use of chemical sprays, instead relying on mechanical methods for mosquito control. The city also schedules tree trimming outside of bird breeding seasons to ensure the integrity of the ecosystem. The two parties thus engaged in a cordial exchange and looked forward to maintaining their connections and expanding cooperation.