CHALLENGES OF AUCKLAND'S URBAN GROWTH
When one considers that almost 90 per cent of New Zealanders live in towns and cities, our urban centres, buildings and public spaces are of immeasurable value.
Cities and regions are complex networks of interconnected activity centres, each contributing to the economic and social well being of the whole. Yet, the huge asset of our cities and urban town centres in contributing to our economic, social and environmental well being is often undervalued.
While no place is a blank canvas and no one model or density can be used to govern or manage growth, we are all aware of the pressing need to manage urban growth and protect our natural heritage.
The development of stand alone housing estates and the expansion of city limits — while remaining one option — is no longer justifiable as the predominant mode of accommodating population growth.
Any development, whether it is located in an established urban centre or on the fringe of the city's limits, should be appropriate to the setting within the context of the wider metropolitan area.
Varied places are what is needed in our modern urban cities and towns, yet a lack of innovation in the property market, planning constraints and the need for local communities to better understand the benefits and tradeoffs of different forms of urban development has created a shortage of housing options to meet the needs of our changing social and family demographics.
From the 1960s onward, the pattern of expansive urban development brought about a traffic growth strategy of accommodation for more motorways and more car parks without a proportionate investment in an efficient public transport system.
Although traffic congestion has traditionally been the principle concern linked to urban growth, more recently the debate about urban development has broadened to include environmental impact on our air and water quality1, community livability and quality of life.
In a greater metropolitan city of 1.3 million, Aucklanders dependence on private cars has brought about traffic gridlock and expanding peak commuting hours as people live in one part of the city and work in another (around half of North Shore residents commute out of their city to work).
The urgency to find solutions to our transportation woes increase as fuel prices rise and the wider social, economic and environmental costs of a car dominated society become more evident. Long commuting hours, along with high petrol and parking costs, directly affects our mental and physical health; more time on the motorway means less time for family and leisure activities.
Considering around 60% of New Zealand's total population growth over the next 20 years is expected to take place in the greater Auckland metropolitan area of North Shore, Waitakere, Auckland, Manukau, finding solutions to the way we live and get around becomes all the more urgent.
While consumer values and lifestyle aspirations can resist the tough choices needed for more sustainable solutions to accommodating growth, for the most part Aucklanders accept that the days of the indiscriminate use of private cars for every occasion are over.
We are all well aware of the social and economic costs of unrestrained sprawl and the role congested road traffic plays in degrading not only our natural environment (the air, water, noise and land pollution), but also the quality and visual attractiveness of our cities and neighbourhood centres. We are, after all, the ones who breathe the smog, sit for hours on motorways, watch our discretionary spending dwindle with every fuel hike, and find our enjoyment of our neighbourhood facilities affected by polluted streams, beaches and reserves.
And it is the pressure of these realities on our daily life which has increased our desire for change in the way we live and get around.
We all want to live in a city where, over the course of our lifetime, our neighbourhood offers us meaningful choices about where we live, work and relax.
There is a growing demand in New Zealand, along with other developed countries, for our urban centres to meet the demands of the 21st century living: compact, accessible places which offer real choice to local communities in housing and employment; community places that are visually attractive and diverse; and, green open spaces to relax and spend time with friends and family.