City of Rebirth: Revisiting the Place and Memory of Tainan's Multi-generational Homes

Abstract

This thesis is an interdisciplinary exploration of how the multi-generational homes in Tainan, Taiwan, along with the objects and people found within them, play a fundamental role in shaping the city's individual and collective memory. The hybrid culture of Tainan formed as a fusion of multiple past colonization efforts on top of the residents’ self-built mentality has allowed the people to establish a distinct and deep connection with their home and city as they continuously modify, refine, and build on top of the foundations of their predecessors. The city serves as a valuable case study for the phenomenology of place as it offers a perspective on the process of placemaking that is unlike other metropolitan cities around the world.

This research is inspired by my own memories of living in the city as a child and the encounters that I experienced during my recent visit to Tainan, supported by various literature reviews on the topics of the city’s cultural history, the concept of home, and the process of placemaking. Interview commentaries made by the residents of the city will be used alongside the research to formulate the story of my hometown, weaving together a tale that ties together each layer of the city’s history, culture, and personality from the broadest scale of the city’s creation down to the most simple building blocks of the home. In today's world, where many urban metropolises have succumbed to the process of gentrification and westernization, Tainan has become a valuable and unique example of how traditional lifestyles can be maintained and how common people can hold active control and agency over the development of their city.