Taipei Dismantles Outdoor Smoking Booth Mocked as an Open-Air Prison

In an effort to promote a cleaner environment, city officials in Taipei installed a brand-new outdoor designated smoking zone near a busy intersection in the Gongguan shopping district.

However, the urban planning initiative backfired almost immediately when residents noticed the structure's distinct architectural choice: a tall, industrial metal fence enclosing smokers. Social media users quickly dubbed the structure an 'open-air prison,' with others comparing it to a pigpen or a dog kennel.

Despite being designed as part of Mayor Chiang Wan-an's ambitious push for a smoke-free capital, the wire enclosure raised eyebrows for both its aesthetic and practical shortcomings. Critics pointed out that while the chain-link barrier effectively sequestered smokers in a public spectacle, it did nothing to prevent secondhand smoke from drifting freely through the metal grid to nearby pedestrian pathways.

Following a wave of online satire and public embarrassment, city authorities held emergency meetings and swiftly dispatched crews to tear down the controversial steel cage. Officials from the local district office acknowledged the backlash and promised to redesign the designated smoking hotspot into a visually appealing space.