DEVELOPING COMPANIONSHIP WITH THE LEFT-BEHINDS UNIVERSITY SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO RURAL REGENERATION IN THE BADLANDS REGION OF TAIWAN

The subject of regional inequality has garnered scholars’ attention over the past decade and has generated debates on those territories forgotten by mainstream economic activities. Though left-behind places are a global phenomenon, they are sited in different development contexts that require customized, place-based solutions. This paper discusses a possible approach to working with the left-behinds: leveraging the university as an institutional resource to engage people and places in regional regeneration. Using the Collaborative Badlands project as an example, we describe the learning journey of developing ground solutions and companionship between a research university and the left-behind communities in a rural badlands region. Adopting a hybrid approach of an asset-based approach to community development and collaborative planning for regional development, this case demonstrates a potential levelling-up strategy for sustainable development for the lagging region.