Secretariat, Taipei City Government

On May 16, Taipei Mayor Wan-An Chiang attended the 2025 Taipei International Cities Forum as the mayor of the host city. At the beginning of the forum, he greeted the participating mayors and distinguished guests in English, Malay, Spanish, Japanese, Lithuanian, Hebrew, Tuvaluan, Marshallese, Finnish, Swedish, and Indonesian, warmly welcoming them to Taipei City. He jokingly remarked that, having spent considerable time offering his greetings, everyone must have already felt Taipei’s hospitality. Mayor Chiang also noted that, like many of the mayors in attendance, he has to deliver speeches at various events almost every day. One lesson that he has learned is that the shorter the speech is, the more sincere the applause is. Therefore, Mayor Chiang briefly stated, “Welcome to Taipei. I believe today’s exchanges will bring our cities rich inspiration and creativity. Taipei City welcomes you all.”

After this introduction, Mayor Chiang delivered a brief speech in English introducing Taipei City’s major policies. He explained that the Taipei City Government believes building a healthy city involves enabling residents to live with both physical and mental freedom. He also pointed out that genuine health for Taipei’s residents means having the freedom to leave their homes, engage with others, and live in comfort and with dignity.

Mayor Chiang noted that, earlier this year, Time Out magazine ranked Taipei as having the fifth most efficient public transportation system in the world. Over the past several years, Taipei Metro has ranked first in terms of global reliability six times. Public transportation can be regarded as the “beating heart” of Taipei City. However, what truly extends the transportation network into every alley and neighborhood is Taipei’s bike-sharing system, YouBike. Riding a bicycle is a symbol of a healthy lifestyle.

During his speech, Mayor Chiang explained that the Taipei City Government launched a new policy in 2024 offering the first 30 minutes of each YouBike ride free of charge. This initiative not only helped residents save money but also served as a crucial component of the “last mile of green commuting,” enabling citizens to leave their homes and adopt healthier lifestyles. The real innovation in this approach lies not merely in providing free rides but in ensuring the consistent availability of bikes during peak demand periods. In response, the city government implemented a real-time data dashboard to monitor vehicle movement at each station, dynamically dispatch bikes, and initiate new rounds of bike procurement and station expansion on the basis of real-time demand. These efforts yielded substantial results. For example, the daily number of YouBike rides increased from 126,000 to 191,000, representing a 51% increase. According to surveys, one-quarter of users reported that this policy encouraged them to switch from driving or riding scooters to using YouBike. These changes reflect not only a shift in transportation modes but also a transformation in daily lifestyle habits. 

During the forum, Mayor Chiang stated that the city’s focus on health spans all age groups, with a particular emphasis on the youngest generation. For instance, the city launched the “Weekly Milk Program—Milk for Every Student,” a policy under which students in Taipei can receive one free bottle of milk each week at any convenience store simply by swiping their student ID card. At the event, he also held up a carton of milk and said to the attendees, “Ladies and gentlemen, today I have also prepared milk—let us raise our glasses and say cheers!”

Mayor Chiang further noted that Taipei’s weekly milk program constitutes a form of digital innovation. Taiwan has the second-highest density of convenience stores worldwide. In collaboration with convenience store operators and through integration with the EasyCard system, the Taipei City Government developed a digital platform capable of managing identity verification, inventory tracking, and cold-chain distribution. Within the first month of the policy’s implementation, students in Taipei consumed approximately 600,000 bottles of milk. According to surveys, 87% of respondents who were aware of the policy expressed their support. The weekly milk program marks only the first step. In the future, the Taipei City Government plans to use the same system to distribute nutrition packages for pregnant women, emergency supplies, and additional resources, enabling municipal services to directly reach communities and individual households—without queues or waiting—thereby truly achieving a people-centered approach.

Mayor Chiang stated that exercise is a key component of a healthy city. Since 1999, the Taipei City Government has constructed a sports center in each administrative district. Currently, the total annual number of visits to all sports centers in Taipei City exceeds 8.7 million, and this number is projected to surpass 10 million in 2026. The Taipei City Government is still constructing new sports centers, incorporating smart technologies and inclusive design principles. For example, the soon-to-open Ganggong Sports Center will utilize artificial intelligence technology for baseball training analysis, and the Xinsheng Sports Center, scheduled to open in 2026, will feature a fully accessible design, enabling those with disabilities to exercise with ease and comfort. Overall, the city’s government is advancing a healthy city concept through an inclusive, diverse, and innovative approach.

Mayor Chiang further noted that, according to the United Kingdom’s Institute for Quality of Life, which releases the Happy City Index, Taipei City jumped from 46th place in 2024 to 8th place in 2025, an achievement that reflects years of effort by the city. Urban governance requires continual innovation and evolution. As expressed by the slogan of the 2025 World Masters Games—“Sports Beyond Age: Life Without limits”—Mayor Chiang and the participating mayors and city representatives share the same mission: to enable citizens, regardless of their age, background, or gender, to live healthily, happily, and freely. In closing, he once again expressed his gratitude to the attendees and extended a warm welcome to the distinguished guests visiting Taipei City.