15 department stores packed into half a square kilometre, linked by second-floor skybridges
The closest neighborhoods in the same city.
The Xinyi Planning District has 15 department stores packed into about half a square kilometre, and has been called the densest cluster of department stores in the world. Stepping out of Taipei City Hall Station or Taipei 101/World Trade Center Station, the first thing you notice is the scale: the roads are very wide, and it takes a while to walk the length of a single block. The department stores stand one after another, linked together by about 2.3 kilometres of second-floor skybridges and the MRT station, so you can get around without getting too wet on a rainy day. To the southeast, Elephant Mountain (Xiangshan) rises right at the edge of the district.
Elephant Mountain is right on the doorstep: for a weekend hike, it's a short walk from Xiangshan Station to the trailhead. Street environment ranks 1st among Taipei's 73 neighborhoods, and based on street photos, it's the tidiest neighborhood in all of Taipei. Next to Taipei 101, the old military dependents' houses of Four Four South Village are still standing, one of the few low-rise corners among all these high-rises.
Everyday shopping ranks 50th, and medical care ranks 48th; if you're planning to live here, don't just browse the department stores — make sure to scope out the shops and clinics you'd actually use day to day. Getting between department stores often means walking skybridges or crossing big intersections, which can be tiring if you're pushing a stroller or carrying heavy things. On New Year's Eve, Taipei 101 sets off fireworks, so the surrounding area is packed for those few days, and roads are closed to traffic.
This area was originally rice paddies; in the late Japanese colonial era part of the land became the Japanese Army's Songshan Storage Depot, and after the war it was the site of the 44 Arsenal and an auto repair facility. From 1981 to 1986, the second-phase urban land readjustment project for Songshan District was carried out, and the land for public facilities was acquired at that time. The Taipei City Hall building was completed in 1994, and the city government and its affiliated agencies moved in.
The eastern section of the MRT Circular Line was approved by the Executive Yuan in March 2023. According to an August 2026 update from the MRT Bureau, the expected completion year is 2034, and the opening date will be announced after preliminary and final inspections are passed. On this section, Y38 Station will be located at the intersection of Songren Road and Section 5 of Xinyi Road, and will allow transfers with Xiangshan Station.
Compared with the 73 Taipei neighborhoods in this guide (scores 0–10)
NHI-contracted hospitals, public elementary and junior high schools whose catchment covers this area (estimated from the 2026 school-year village/neighborhood catchment table, treating every neighborhood in a village as equal in size; "Shared catchment" means families there can choose between two or more schools), high schools and universities within 1 km, stations, parks of 1 ha or more, and large shopping malls and department stores.
Maps show the shops and the sights. What a street is like, you only know by walking it. TidyMap uses AI street imagery analysis and public facility data to turn each area's street environment and everyday convenience into something you can compare. Search an address and look at the street outside first.
How to read it: yellow = poor, blue = good; grey = not enough data
TidyMap rates the street environment and everyday convenience. It does not assess the home itself, safety, noise or actual living experience. Street environment scores use AI assessments of imagery; convenience scores use public facility data.
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