The evolving urban fabric and contour of old mountain streets in Taiwan

Space acts as a vehicle carrying the development of local culture and economy from one decade to another, and transmits different urban elements into culture complexes. The depletion of a gold vein usually brings an end to a local economy. This pattern has been changed in Jiufen, a small mountain village that has evolved from a golden age, through a recession, to one of the most popular tourism sites in Taiwan. The transformation from mining heritage to great tourist experience came from planning strategy, promotion, and the combined information technology of government and local associations. The created transformation included an evolving urban boundary and tourist-oriented fabric experience. In order to provide evidence of the richness of the second contour, the concept of reverse engineering was applied to reconstruct an as-built 3D environment model and local cultural elements by fulfilling the representation needs of the street cortex and the second contour. Contour variations and an inconsistent pattern are presented under a unique cooperative contribution by tourists, original residents, new residents, sellers, and government departments.