Tegongmeng Advocates for 'Play-Friendly City' – Kaohsiung Council Speaker Kang Yu-cheng First to Sign Pledge: Let Children Play Safely Right Outside Their Homes

The Taiwan Alliance for Playful Cities (Tegongmeng) has launched a pledge-signing campaign for its 'Play-Friendly City' initiative. This morning (the 14th), Secretary-General Pan Ju-pi visited Kaohsiung City Council Speaker Kang Yu-cheng, who welcomed the initiative and became the first to sign the pledge. Councilors Kuo Chien-meng, Chiu Chun-hsien, and Tang Yung-yu also attended in support, showcasing the Kaohsiung City Council’s determination to uphold children and youth’s right to play and promote a more inclusive urban environment.

Focusing on urban play and recreational spaces, Tegongmeng introduced three core proposals. First, conduct a comprehensive inventory of city play spaces to create a '10-minute play zone,' ensuring children can safely and conveniently access play areas within their residential neighborhoods. Second, promote park greening, shading, and cooling facilities to build 'cooling parks,' enabling children, youth, and citizens to comfortably use outdoor spaces even during hot weather. Third, recognize the needs of adolescents by moving beyond the traditional focus on toddlers in parks, and provide suitable physical, leisure, and social spaces tailored for teenagers.

Kang Yu-cheng stated that Tegongmeng’s three core proposals directly address real developmental needs in Kaohsiung, particularly the challenge of extreme summer heat. She emphasized that ensuring children can safely play near their homes and transforming parks into welcoming public spaces for all age groups is an essential aspect of urban governance.

Kang highlighted that in August this year, the Kaohsiung City Government opened the 'Kaohsiung Family Recreation Zone,' a large-scale, semi-indoor, free-access facility transformed from the former Taiwan Railways Administration Kaohsiung Depot. This project aligns closely with Tegongmeng’s vision of creating child-friendly recreational environments. She stressed that while large recreational facilities are valuable, cities must also adopt a community-level approach—ensuring children do not need to travel far to find safe, engaging, and age-appropriate play spaces within their daily life zones.

Kang emphasized that Tegongmeng has long advocated for unique playgrounds, children’s right to play, and inclusive play environments, significantly influencing public space planning across Taiwan’s counties and cities. Moving forward, the city council will continue to serve as a watchdog and promoter, urging the municipal government to incorporate children’s play rights and diverse age-group needs into urban planning, budget allocations, and park improvement projects—transforming meaningful initiatives into tangible urban developments.

She also called on more cross-party councilors to join the movement, fostering collaboration among the council, city government, civic groups, and communities. By working together—from children to youth, from play to recreation—Kaohsiung can progressively enhance its public spaces. Kang expressed her hope that Kaohsiung will not only boast large signature parks but also establish a network of inclusive play environments across all neighborhoods, allowing children to play safely and joyfully close to home and turning parks into truly shared public spaces for all generations.

Kang underscored that building a 'Play-Friendly City' is not a one-off construction project but a long-term commitment by the city to improve children’s quality of life. Going forward, through council oversight, municipal action, and civic participation, the goals of the '10-minute play zone,' 'cooling parks,' and youth-friendly spaces will be gradually realized—making Kaohsiung a genuinely child-centered, inclusive city where people of all ages can thrive.