Negotiating Density and Financing Public Goods in Vancouver and New Taipei City: A Development Rights Perspective

This article examines two density-based value-capture mechanisms–community amenity contributions (CAC) in Vancouver, Canada, and transfer of development rights (TDR) in New Taipei City, Taiwan–that planners use to finance public goods. To understand the differences in the design of the mechanisms, negotiating dynamics, actors involved, and types of public goods financed, we propose three perspectives on development rights: absolute ownership, bundle of rights, and public asset. We find that the public asset perspective underpins Vancouver’s CAC, whereas in New Taipei City’s TDR development rights are treated more as a commodity, a concept rooted in the absolute ownership perspective.