[USR Feature] “Urban-Rural Partnership for Sustainable Living” — Together 2026 Advances Health and Sustainability in East Asia-國立成功大學永續發展SDGs

In 2025, Taiwan officially becomes a super-aged society. In response to this challenge, the Together 2026 USR (University Social Responsibility) project team at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) has aimed, from the very beginning, to serve as a local think tank in Tainan. By drawing on faculty expertise, the team supports local development and sustainability initiatives. The project began with the Sustainable Urban-Rural Development Project, which brought together a cross-disciplinary community of faculty practitioners at NCKU. Starting from an exploration of local needs, the team introduced university teaching, research, and hands-on engagement into community settings—sparking interaction, building trust, and laying the groundwork for long-term collaboration. During the second phase (2020–2022), the project launched initiatives such as the Aging-in-Place Micro-Community Action Network and Agro-Pastoral Co-Prosperity and Agri-Green Symbiosis. These efforts focused on building micro-communities, promoting intergenerational learning and cooperation, and enhancing seniors’ sense of self-worth and happiness. In the third phase (2023–2024), under the theme Inter-Subjectivity, Mutual Benefit, and Cultural Regeneration, the team focused on linking micro-communities with local stakeholders, strengthening cross-group collaboration, and revitalizing the wisdom and experience of older adults. For instance, in the Wenling Community of Tainan’s West Central District, elders shared life stories through podcasts, transforming their experiences into transferable social assets. Over time, these efforts have allowed the Together 2026 team and community members to engage internationally, showcasing the richness of aging experiences and elder wisdom from Taiwan.


Led by Distinguished Professor Cheng-Ta Yang, Director of the Research Center for Humanities and Social Sciences at NCKU and faculty member in the Department of Psychology, the newly approved fourth-phase (2025–2027) Ministry of Education USR project, Urban-Rural Partnership for a Healthy and Sustainable Life · East Asia Collaboration, is a continuation of the Together 2026 initiative.  Building on the experience and outcomes of the earlier phases, this new project further deepens its efforts by focusing on two core areas: holistic health and resilient rural communities. Its ultimate goal is to establish a model for a healthy and sustainable urban-rural lifestyle—U-R LOHAS (Urban-Rural Lifestyle of Health & Sustainability)—while fostering international collaboration.


The concept of holistic health emphasizes physical well-being, mental health, and healthy social relationships, with the aim of supporting environmental sustainability through whole-person care. Meanwhile, the resilient rural communities focus will be implemented across three dimensions: industrial resilience, environmental resilience, and community resilience—deepening practical engagement across these areas. The project team has identified several key practice sites in Tainan, including the North District, Anping, West Central District, Guantian, Lioujia, and Xinshi. On the international front, the project not only continues its close collaborations with Chiba University in Japan and the Singapore University of Social Sciences, but also expands its partnerships to include institutions in Thailand and Indonesia. These efforts aim to extend the promotion of health sustainability and urban-rural collaboration through a southbound strategy, sharing operational insights and experiences across borders.


Project leader Distinguished Professor Cheng-Ta Yang stated that this phase of the project will place greater emphasis on horizontal integration among faculty and courses within the university. By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, the goal is to cultivate research talent with strong practical abilities. The project aims to equip students with skills in cross-disciplinary integration, problem-solving, communication and collaboration, field engagement, and research — enhancing both their academic and practical competitiveness. At the same time, the project will actively develop international networks. Through diverse strategies such as virtual exchanges and international conferences, the team seeks to connect the Together 2026 USR model with the global community, fostering cross-border dialogue and collaboration.


In August 2024, Professor Cheng-Ta Yang took over the Together 2026 project for this phase. He candidly shared that although his involvement in the earlier stages was limited, he was deeply moved by the sight of several tour buses bringing friends from the Lioujia and Guantian communities to the campus to participate in the war drum performance. "They invested a lot of their own time in preparing for these practices. For them, this event became an annual goal, and it led to changes in their lifestyle. This type of activity has created the kind of positive disruption the team aimed for in the community," he remarked. Additionally, he expressed his gratitude and pride in seeing students who were involved in the project later return to the community, establish personal studios, and continue driving local development. A prime example of this is Yi-Lin Wang, who started participating in the initial stages of the project as a first-year graduate student and is now an active member of the Together 2026 team, fully engaged in research and practice.


Professor Cheng-Ta Yang remarked, "What sets NCKU apart from other universities in Taiwan is that while we engage in research, we are also very pragmatic. We bring research into the field and turn it into real-world practice. For many students, participating in the USR project is like entering the real world ahead of time. In this small-scale society, students encounter various 'nuances'—in terms of space, interpersonal relationships, and more. They must learn, adjust, compromise, and communicate effectively with the community to build their network." He also emphasized that NCKU's faculty members possess abundant research capabilities, not only offering professional guidance but also serving as mentors, helping students implement their knowledge in real-world settings.


Professor Cheng-Ta Yang said that today's students are fortunate, as they not only have access to abundant sources of information but also have the opportunity to actively participate in social practice through the USR project. This is a stark contrast to the training he received in his earlier years. Therefore, he hopes that students will set higher goals, become more socially conscious, engage actively with society, and be eager to share with others. He encouraged students by reminding them that setbacks are inevitable in the learning process, but they should stay true to their original intentions. "When flowers bloom, butterflies come naturally. The bigger your dreams, the more people will come to help," he shared, a phrase he has always used to encourage himself and now offers to his students.


Video sharing | 2024 Course Enrollment Student Interviews