The United States has a healthcare crisis. Taiwan has a housing crisis. Neither problem seems to be going away anytime soon. Here's a look at some of the urban hells Taiwanese people must endure.
Buildings in city centers and more developed areas show a sharp contrast between the haves and have-nots, adding drama to the crisis.
Much of the architecture in Taipei reflects the rapid and chaotic changes Taiwan has gone through in the last 100 years. It went from from brutal Japanese colonization, to a terrifying military dictatorship, to democratization and rapid prosperity.
Because of the raid changes during these times people were all crammed tightly into Taipei and the new was simply piled onto the old.
Perhaps the most depressing aspect of the housing crisis is seein the landscape littered with these multicolored roofs and cages.
These illegal rooftop units have been something the government has tried to crack down on, but they've had extreme difficulty doing so.
Owners often resort to dramatic measures to protest the removal of these units.
The concrete walls reverb scooter exhaust and make for a extremely loud streets posing a plethora of public health hazards. The city would like to outlaw 2 stroke engines within the next 10 years electric scooters. This should be a big help.
This is an example of a dystopian illegal rooftop unit in Beitou District.
The cages line the windows because home invasions used to be a huge problem in Taiwan. Now they're almost unheard of.
Above are two buildings in the district of Beitou in North Taipei. A unit in this area cost on average $300 USD per month for a studio.
Compare that to these buildings closer to the city center where a studio with no windows can run up to almost 400 USD per month.
Many of the buidings are covered in what looks like bathroom tile because of the humid and rainy climate. It's quite easy for tiles to accumulate dirt, especially if the air is polluted as Taipei often is.
For some reason puke green is a popular choice for the illegal rooftop units.
An depressing scene close to Ximen MRT station, where the population density is quite high. At least Spiderman would have a good time here.
A scene from a narrow alleyway, a much too common one in the more crowded areas of the city.