In addition to caring about the campus, NTU also hopes to expand the volume to urban and rural development. Expanding from the campus to cities and communities, it helps to build smart urban and rural areas that take into account environmental protection, social responsibility and sustainable governance, and trains students to go deep into the community and think about innovative solutions from the perspective of improving human well-being.。
Urban and Rural
Weaving workshop held in the Seediq community, with instruction provided by a master weaver.
Drone operation training.
Restore Cultivation of the Bunong Millet Strains
Technology Accurately Assesses Renewable Energy in Cities
Helps Create Healthy Temples for Worshippers
Sustainable Yunlin
NTU PLUS
Peaceful Aging
Weaving It Together: Textile Traditions in the Seediq Community
To preserve the tradition, the Indigenous Research Center at NTU partnered with the Seediq community in Nantou to launch the “Weaving It Together: Textile Traditions in the Seediq Community.” Through weaving workshops and the reproduction of museum collections, cultural artifacts were showcased within the community. The workshops also deepened participants’ understanding and appreciation of weaving techniques. Concurrently, efforts were made on the NTU campus to cultivate weaving materials like ramie and other ethnic plants to foster cross-ethnic interaction. Indigenous instructors were invited to conduct courses on weaving with inkle looms.
NTU’s WCDR Assists Belize in Building Disaster Prevention and Response Capabilities
To enhance Belize’s resilience to extreme weather events, NTU’s Center for Weather and Climate Disaster Research (WCDR), in collaboration with the International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) and the Belize Ministry of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management, launched the Belize Urban Resilience and Disaster Prevention (BURDP) project in 2019. The project aims to leverage Taiwan’s extensive experience in flood control and disaster prevention technology to bolster Belize’s disaster response capabilities.
NTU Helps Restore Cultivation of the Bunong Millet Strains
The Co-Prosperity Program of the NTU Experimental Forest studied on Bunong’s millet strains in Hsinyi Town, Nantou County. They worked with local language experts, elders, and teachers to find out how the strains had been used and millet’s cultural implications. Cultivation of the millet was then restored on trial in NTU’s Experimental Farm and Experimental Forest. When enough seeds were bred, the NTU millet restoration team presented the millet seeds of 28 local strains to Jiou Mei Elementary School in Hsinyi Town on December, 2021. The school will design a curriculum according to the timing of growth of each strain and become a home base for the promotion of the Bunong culture.
NTU’s Technology Accurately Assesses Renewable Energy in Cities
With the government’s policy of renewable energy accounting for 20% of power generation by 2025, solar power will be the most accessible energy in urban areas that may avoid conflict arising from land development. NTU’s Department of Civil Engineering developed a technology that uses an integrated multi-spatial analysis of solar PV potential in metropolitan areas. Unlike the traditional evaluation using data from weather stations, this technology applies scientific and local data to help people discerningly assess the feasibility and benefits of installing solar panels, reduces information divide, and promotes the localization of renewable energy.
Helps Create Healthy Temples for Worshippers
SC+NTUThe Project SC+NTU team is committed to initiating climate actions with a local perspective. They worked with the Chienkuo District’s administrative office in Yingge and set up detectors at local Tudigong temples (god of the land and soil) to collect tangible evidence of how burning incense and joss paper affects air quality. Hopefully, the data will help district heads, temples and the locals assess health hazards and come up with better practice through discussion, creating a healthy and friendly environment for those who worship at temples.
Sustainable Yunlin
National Taiwan University is the only university in Taiwan that has established a co-management committee with neighboring Indigenous communities. Through the Xitou Experimental Forest, the university connects forest resources with Indigenous culture, enhancing local development by encouraging residents to consider Satoyama initiatives that promote harmony between society and nature. The approach taken in this practice field balances ecological conservation with community industry. Additionally, the establishment of the Yunlin Campus and the Chuhe Pavilion integrates innovative agricultural research and teaching resources from the College of Bioresources and Agriculture, providing in-depth support to the local agricultural industry in Taiwan's granary region.
NTU PLUS Towards a Global Local Learning Hub A Collaborative Ecosystem
The NTU College of Design and Innovation, with a focus on sustainable development education, has deeply rooted itself in Yilan, aligning with the local lifestyle. Through community and school collaboration, it has developed a high-quality educational model of a Living Museum. By integrating local knowledge, collaborating on curricula, hosting workshops, offering interdisciplinary programs, and uniting museum networks, this initiative fosters a model for Yilan's Living Museum. This systematic approach aims to build the necessary social network for establishing Yilan as a global local learning hub.
Peaceful Aging: Integrating Palliative and Long-term Care through Comprehensive Social Education and Service
To reduce the time people spend bedridden in long-term care without meaningful purpose, and to encourage earlier consideration and planning for end-of-life issues, the NTU Department of Social Work integrates campus and community education programs with the goal of community-based peaceful aging. By connecting with local networks in the Wanhua District, the program gains a deep understanding of neighborhood conditions and needs. It introduces technology applications for the elderly and involves university students in community work, partnering with local service organizations to assist communities in developing the ability to manage and implement sustainable practices.