National Cheng Kung University

In response to complex and interrelated challenges such as climate change, global public health risks, and rapidly aging societies, developing socially responsive and governance-effective action models grounded in democratic participation has become a critical global agenda.

The U-R LOHAS East Asia Project (hereafter referred to as the “Go-Together Project”) builds upon long-term community engagement and practice-based educational programs.

The Go-Together Project advances social practice through two core principles. First, it embeds actions within everyday life contexts to foster democratic community collectives. Second, it cultivates “interactive professionals” through collaboration between the university and real-world practice settings, enabling the integration of knowledge and action.

The project focuses on three key domains: holistic health, resilient rural development, and urban–rural linkages. Through these domains, it develops an action framework that connects local field-based practices with international collaboration. By grounding its approach in place-based practice while expanding transnational knowledge exchange—particularly within East Asia—the Go-Together Project aims to enhance collective capacity to address complex societal challenges in a sustainable and adaptive manner.

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“Collaborative Badlands” is an interdisciplinary partnership based in the mudstone badlands of southwestern Taiwan that brings together faculty and students from National Cheng Kung University, local communities, and public and private organizations across sectors. The initiative aims to foster co-learning in the badlands, co-production within communities, and a shared sense of regional identity.

Through three thematic communities, new information, new experiences, and new industries, and twelve practical strategies, the project mobilizes cross-disciplinary collaboration by integrating teaching, research, and service within the university. It also facilitates the mobilization of cross-regional resources to strengthen the capacity of civil society organizations across the region.

The project seeks to cultivate equitable and reciprocal university–community partnerships and to establish a place-based regional platform grounded in local assets. By reshaping public perceptions of the badlands, the initiative envisions transforming declining mountain villages into learning regions characterized by resilient livelihoods, green production, and ecological sustainability. Ultimately, the badlands serve as a living laboratory for regional collaboration and for the sustainable development of Taiwan’s low-altitude mountain regions.