DPP mayoral hopeful Shen proposes waterway overhaul and free childcare at Halloween rally

Puma Shen, the Democratic Progressive Party’s candidate for Taipei mayor, presented a comprehensive waterway revitalization scheme modeled after Singapore’s urban water policies. The plan, labeled "ABCDE," targets active use, aesthetic improvement, cleanliness, detention capacity, and ecosystem health, with specific actions such as upgrading waterfront amenities along the Tamsui and Keelung rivers and installing wetlands and vegetation to boost water quality.

Shen also suggested building small flood-retention facilities in schools and parks to enhance flood control. Emphasizing the need to reconnect citizens with water, he said current underground drainage has hidden many streams from daily life. After the briefing, Shen attended a Halloween event at Tianmu Baseball Stadium, distributing candy while parents like Han Wu and Yinling Hsu expressed enthusiasm for his childcare initiative, which would offer four free hours of drop-in care weekly for preschool children. The Taipei City government’s Department of Social Welfare has questioned the feasibility of the childcare promise, noting a gap between required and existing service capacity.