2026 Elections: Shen unveils Taipei waterway plan, attends Halloween event

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen (沈伯洋) yesterday proposed revitalizing the capital’s waterways before attending a Halloween event where parents expressed support for his childcare policies.

At a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Taipei’s Zhongzheng District (中正), Shen outlined a plan to revitalize the city’s waterways, drawing inspiration from Singapore’s approach to urban water management.

The plan focuses on five priorities -- Active, Beautiful, Clean, Detention and Ecosystem -- collectively known as "ABCDE," Shen said.

Democratic Progressive Party Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen, second left, attends a Halloween event in Taipei yesterday.

Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times

Specific measures include improving waterfront facilities along the Tamsui and Keelung rivers to make them more accessible to the public, using wetlands and vegetation to improve water quality, and developing small-scale floodwater retention facilities in schools and parks to strengthen the city’s flood control capacity.

"We use water every day, but we are actually very far removed from the water in our city," Shen said, arguing that urban water management should incorporate education, culture and environmental protection rather than focus solely on engineering.

Shen said many of Taipei’s streams and irrigation channels had been covered, filled in or incorporated into underground drainage systems during urban development, distancing residents from the city’s waterways.

He said the initiative aimed to reconnect residents with these waterways and make water a central consideration in urban planning.

Later yesterday, Shen, dressed as a ship captain and wearing an Afro wig, handed out candy to children and other attendees at a Halloween event outside the Tianmu Baseball Stadium.

Among those at the event was Taipei resident surnamed Wu (吳), a 35-year-old designer who came with his wife and 2-year- old daughter.

Wu said he was not a staunch DPP supporter and had previously supported former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), but welcomed Shen’s childcare proposals.

One proposal that particularly appealed to him was Shen’s plan to provide up to four hours of free drop-in childcare per week for preschool children.

Taipei currently offers drop-in childcare at designated facilities, most of which charge NT$200 (US$6.13) per hour, according to the city government.

Wu said the proposed free childcare could provide much- needed relief, as he and his wife both work and their daughter spends around 12 hours a day with a nanny on weekdays.

"I think it would give parents some breathing room," he said, adding that the service could allow them to rest on weekends or deal with emergencies.

Shen is challenging incumbent Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in the elections.