2025-12-16
ICI and CIDS Welcome Ecological Democracy Scholar Randolph T. Hester Cross-Border Dialogue Deepens Taiwan’s Sustainability Governance and Civic Participation
The Centre for Innovative Democracy and Sustainability (CIDS) at National Chengchi University hosted the international academic dialogue “ECOLOGICAL DEMOCRACY IN PRACTICE” on December 9, with the International College of Innovation (ICI) serving as co-organizer. The event featured Professor Randolph T. Hester, a leading scholar of ecological democracy and Professor Emeritus of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning at the University of California, Berkeley, whose work has had a lasting influence on community design and civic participation worldwide. The session was moderated by Dean Wen-Ling, Tu of ICI, with Associate Professor Hung-Ying, Chen, Assistant Professor Chih-Yuan, Yang, and members of the CIDS research team also participating. Together, they shared their research and field-based insights and engaged in in-depth dialogue with Professor Hester.
Dean Wen-Ling, Tu began by introducing the development of ICI and CIDS, noting that both are grounded in a shared commitment to advancing interdisciplinary research and democratic education—an approach deeply inspired by Professor Hester’s work on ecological democracy and action-oriented research. She explained that ICI and CIDS have been developing innovative pedagogies and civic participation mechanisms aimed at building sustainability-oriented, cross-disciplinary platforms. Through field research and collaborative processes, these efforts seek to bring together government actors, local communities, and experts to address complex public problems collectively. Dean Tu also discussed Taiwan’s challenges in nuclear waste governance, energy transition, and petrochemical industry transformation, emphasizing the need to cultivate public affairs professionals capable of knowledge mediation, policy coordination, and trust-building. She highlighted the role of universities as sites of knowledge production that can contribute meaningfully to solutions for difficult public issues.
Assistant Professor Chih-Yuan, Yang presented his latest research on Taiwan’s energy transition, including local photovoltaic projects and ecological collaboration in the Budai region. He explained that site planning for solar installations in the Budai wetlands relies heavily on long-term ecological monitoring, such as water-level management and observations of migratory bird habitats. He also shared how local groups participate in monitoring efforts and in adjusting site designs. Assistant Professor Yang emphasized that photovoltaic development is not merely a technical matter; it is deeply entangled with local livelihoods, emotions, knowledge systems, and ecological relationships. For this reason, he argued, viable alternatives must be developed through collaboration with communities and relevant expertise.
Associate Professor Hung-Ying, Chen shared insights from her course Global Civil Movements, illustrating how students learn about global social movements through field visits, on-site observation, cross-cultural discussion, and zine-making. She presented student analyses of multi-actor engagement in cases such as SAVE International and the conservation of the black-faced spoonbill, demonstrating how students apply perspectives from political ecology, multispecies justice, and transnational activism. She also noted that value conflicts frequently arise among students from different cultural backgrounds, and that these exchanges themselves constitute an essential form of democratic practice. As she explained, “We make the classroom a living laboratory of civil society, where students practice understanding conflict, listening across differences, and building connections.”
During the feedback session, Professor Hester commended the ICI and CIDS teams for their commitment and courage in confronting difficult public issues, emphasizing that “If we continue to avoid the most difficult issues, we can never solve them.” Dean Tu’s reflections, he noted, clearly demonstrated the university’s role as a third-party actor whose research capacity and institutional independence can generate innovative approaches to addressing complex societal challenges. Professor Hester further remarked that Taiwanese researchers are willing to engage directly with some of the most challenging environmental issues, describing this as a rare and valuable source of academic and democratic strength. As he stated, “You are not avoiding the most difficult issues… that makes me hopeful.”
At the conclusion of the forum, representatives from ICI and CIDS presented Professor Hester with a commemorative gift in appreciation of his long-standing contributions to ecological democracy and his involvement in the conservation of the black-faced spoonbill in Taiwan. Professor Hester noted that the interdisciplinary approaches demonstrated by Taiwanese scholars and students offer fresh perspectives for global sustainability governance, and that ICI’s teaching philosophy and educational vision reflect a promising future for higher education. This cross-border dialogue not only highlighted ICI’s research strengths in sustainability governance, energy transition, social movements, and democratic practice, but also underscored the significance of Taiwan’s experiences within the international academic community. Moving forward, the International College of Innovation will continue to promote international research collaboration, integrate local knowledge with global perspectives, and cultivate a new generation of leaders capable of addressing future governance challenges.
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