Taipei is a metropolis of about 6 million people, crowded onto a narrow stretch of land, where the housing problem is more severe than in most other cities. Alongside a booming economy, an imbalanced land policy has kept living quality from improving — unequal distribution of wealth, an idiosyncratic property tax system, failed urban renewal policy, and an unregulated rental market all force residents to endure unreasonably high housing costs for a low quality of living. To gain a little more living space, households across the city have built illegal iron-plate structures on their rooftops, forming this jarring, sprawling sight. When night falls, the city's beautiful glow settles over it all, only deepening the sense of Taipei's beauty and sorrow together.
