National spatial structure has seldom been studied from the aspect of spatial structure elements. Hence, taking Taiwan as an example, this study examines national spatial structure based on a system of spatial elements. Alternative national spatial structures, considering national various development needs, are designed and evaluated. First, this empirical study analyzes the national spatial structure based on five spatial elements, namely node, corridor, area, density and function, and utilizes spatial statistics to analyze the trend of Taiwan's national spatial structure. Second, five alternative national spatial structures of Taiwan are developed and evaluated by applying multiple criteria decision making (MCDM). Analytical results indicate that the ”network spatial structure” scenario is the better alternative. To implement this option, this study proposes a set of policies that can be carried out through the existing regional and urban plans.