By KHT Staff. Images via KH City Govt.
KAOHSIUNG — Academic assessments of Mayor Chen Chi-mai’s (陳其邁) nearly six years in office credit his administration with advances in semiconductor investment, live events, rail transit and public green space as candidates campaign to succeed him.
A Liberty Times report identified four prominent parts of Chen’s record: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s (TSMC, 台積電) investment, the city’s concert-driven economy, expansion of the metro and light-rail network, and the opening of more parks.
National University of Kaohsiung President Chi-Jen Chen (陳啟仁) told the newspaper that city governance should be judged by whether it produces long-term structural change; individual construction projects are not necessarily good indicators. He argued that the four areas collectively reflected Kaohsiung’s shift from a traditional industrial center toward a city with larger technology, cultural and low-carbon ambitions.
Four areas of change
The report credited Chen’s administration with helping bring TSMC plant development to the former CPC Corp. Taiwan (台灣中油) refinery site. The investment has become a central part of the city’s attempt to diversify an economy historically associated with steel, petrochemicals and heavy manufacturing.
On transportation, the report cited completion of the Kaohsiung Light Rail loop, construction of the Yellow Line and plans to extend the Red Line north toward Lujhu District (路竹區) and south toward Linyuan District (林園區). Those projects remain at different stages of construction or planning and will extend beyond Chen’s term.
The newspaper also pointed to concerts and the Kaohsiung Wonderland winter festival, which has featured the Yellow Duck, Chiikawa and Ultraman, as efforts intended to draw visitors and support hotels, restaurants, night markets and other service businesses.
In public-space policy, the report said the city opened 70 distinctive parks and established 14 dog exercise areas during Chen’s tenure. It highlighted the 70-hectare Kaohsiung Green Park (高雄果嶺自然公園), a former golf course that opened to the public in October 2025.
Yao-Yuan Yeh (葉耀元), a professor and department chair at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, told the newspaper that Kaohsiung’s changing streetscape, transit system, performance venues and international events had helped recast its image overseas. Yeh said internationalization depended not only on construction, but also on whether a city could attract global attention and visitors.
The academics’ comments represent qualitative assessments rather than an independent performance audit. The source report did not provide a comprehensive examination of project costs, construction risks or how benefits were distributed across the city.
Candidates debate what comes next
The succession contest includes five candidates who have registered for the Kaohsiung mayoral election, including Democratic Progressive Party nominee Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆), Kuomintang nominee Ko Chih-en (柯志恩), two independents and the Judicial Revolution Party’s candidate.
Lai has praised Chen’s work and proposed a “Greater South Plan.” According to a separate Liberty Times report, his platform includes semiconductor, artificial-intelligence computing and inter-university talent centers, along with an effort to secure a 24-hour offshore airport. These remain campaign proposals rather than approved projects.
Ko has said she would continue selected policies involving concerts, industrial upgrading and rail construction while placing greater emphasis on labor protections and the social safety net.
“Recognizing what has been achieved does not mean ignoring problems,” Ko told the newspaper. She cited ticket scalping, rising housing costs, population loss, and bullying in schools and workplaces as issues requiring further attention.
Chen’s successor will inherit large projects at varying stages of development, leaving the election to determine which policies continue, which are revised, and how the city balances technology investment and visitor-focused development with residents’ social and economic concerns.
