ILLEGAL ARCHITECTURE: IN THE NAME OF COMMUNITY

The phenomenon of illegal architecture, whether in urban or rural areas, is something that many people first notice when they arrive in Taiwan. People are usually shocked by how much of such illegal architecture there is. However, after a while, when one compares this with the major construction projects built mainly by the government or developers, one begins to feel that such spontaneous architecture seems to bring about a much stronger connection between people and the social environment. We might say that illegal architecture is a virtual extension of human bodies and the embodiment of life, and something that ultimately adds special flavour to a city…