從老屋活化到地區再生─都市與鄉鎮中「范特喜微創文化」之觸媒作用

Abstract

以融入文化創意的方式活化老屋，已是目前風行全台各地的現象，近年來更出現一批中介老屋改造與街區活化過程的個人或團體，像是化學反應中的「觸媒(catalyst)」一般，觸發整個地區的轉變。本研究以「范特喜微創文化」公司作為研究對象，並選擇台中市草悟道周邊街區、以及新竹縣關西鎮石店子老街作為研究場域。透過質性研究方法，以訪談、參與觀察為主要蒐集資料的方式，並配合文獻的回顧以及統計資料的整理，探討「觸媒」這種角色出現與轉化的脈絡、在城市與鄉鎮中運作的機制、以及對於都市再生與地方創生的過程造成什麼影響。 研究發現，由於空間活化的主導者逐漸由政府轉為民間，並且文化創意產業在政策推廣之下以及消費社會的形成之下蔚為主流，「觸媒」這種角色開始出現，並隨著區域再發展的關注焦點由都市移轉到鄉鎮，觸媒自身也因應不同環境脈絡而有所轉型。在都市觸媒理論的基礎之上，援引化學領域中觸媒的作用方式，可以發現范特喜透過「促合」、「降閾」、「激活」、「增濃」與「升溫」等機制，中介地方資源與社會關係，在老舊空間中導入文化活動與創意產業，作為引動地區活化的媒介。范特喜作為觸媒，強化了地區的個性，在台中觸發較明顯的經濟效果，透過都市再生促使地價增值，創造出具有特定美學風格的消費地景，可能使文化與創意的多元性受限；而在關西，觸媒牽引的社會效果較明顯，藝文成為活化的契機，連結了政府資源與在地社群，形成了地方創生初始的資源平台。

Rejuvenating old buildings that incorporates culture and creativity is a trendy revitalization approach throughout Taiwan. In recent years, a number of individuals and groups have been involving in building rejuvenation and neighborhood regeneration. They activated a series of transformation at different localities, analogous to catalysts in chemical reactions. This research focuses on “Fantasy Story Inc.”, a ‘catalyst’ of urban regeneration in Taichung City, and zooms in to their practices in the neighborhood near the Calligraphy Greenway of Taichung and Shidianzi Old Street in Guanxi Township of Hsinchu County. Through qualitative research methods including interviews, participant observation, and internship ethnography, and with the review of the relevant literatures and the compilation of statistical data, the thesis boils down to three aspects: the emergence and transformation of the “catalyst”, the mechanisms operated by “catalyst” in urban and rural areas, and the impacts of the “catalyst” intervention in the process of urban regeneration and regional revitalization. The evidences reveal that as the motivator of building rejuvenation gradually shift from the government to the private sector, and the cultural and creative industries dominate the reuse program under the promotion of policies and the formation of consumer society, 'catalyst' emerged. In the meanwhile, the demand of redevelopment has advanced from the urban district to the rural area, and the regeneration “catalyst” further morphs and reorganizes itself in response to different environmental contexts. On the basis of the theory of urban catalyst, five effects of Fantasy Story Inc. intervention were analyzed according to the analogy of chemical reaction, including “Facilitating”, ”Threshold-lowering”, “Motivating”, “Densification”, and ”Heating”. “Catalyst” mediates local resources and social relationship, and introduces cultural activities and creative industries in old buildings to activate the regeneration of the neighborhoods. As a catalyst, “Fantasy Story Inc.” intended to strengthen the cultural identity of the regenerated areas, and the economic effects in Taichung were more obvious than those of its rural counterpart. Yet in the course of urban regeneration, the price of local real estate was unsurprisingly boosted, and a landscape of consumption with a particular aesthetic appeal was fostered. The creative milieu engendered by the catalyst may also be detrimental to the diversity and authenticity of local culture and creativity. In Guanxi, however, the social effects activated by the “catalyst” were more perceivable. Via the intermediation of the catalyst, art and culture have become an opportunity for local regeneration. Linking governmental resources and local communities, the catalyst became a resource platform for regional revitalization.