Super City set-up costs continue to sky rocket.

Auckland's new Super City

Sipping on my morning coffee today, I came across this interesting article in the NZ Herald about the costs of setting up the new Auckland Council coming to over $200 million.

Local Government Minister Rodney Hyde justifies this soaring cost at the reason that "The new Auckland Council will be able to provide integrated planning and improved service delivery at a reduced cost" (NZ Herald 2010).

When I saw this figure, my initial thought was "WHOA!" because I never thought that it would cost this muchsetting up a unitary Council for the Auckland region.
But what sits in my mind now is a very relevant point raised in the article about us ratepayers having to front a portion of the costs for the new Super City.

Although Auckland could benefit from a unitary Local Authority for the entire region, I personally think that the Auckland region itself has too many diverse characteristics that cannot simply be governed effectively by the one Auckland Council for integrated Planning down to the local level.
Maybe I'm just biased about the new Auckland Council dwindling some of my career prospects when I graduate, but I personally think the four major Councils in Auckland is simply too diverse to be effectively incorporated together into one on the new Auckland Council.

Personally, I'm rather looking forward to the Spatial Plan coming out later this year. It should be interesting to see whats in it and I'm sure it will form an interesting part of my Planning studies next year.
Oh and of course, we'll get to see how this $200 million set-up costs pan out.

To read the full article and see the new Auckland Council's spendings for the $200 million, follow the link below.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10648531

A Transit Oriented Development in the heart of New Lynn.

New Lynn's newly upgraded underground train station forming an integral part of town centres TOD (ONTRACK 2010).

As part of ONTRACK's Project DART rail upgrade, the Western Line and the New Lynn train station has undergone a major transformation by trenching the tracks underground to allow the seamless movement of vehicles on the road, and to create a TOD in the heart of the New Lynn town centre.

Underground rail trench at the New Lynn Train Station (ONTRACK 2010).

Since I live only a 10minute walk away from the train station, I have personally witnessed this transformation myself right from the beginning, till construction that is still currently going on today. I still have a vivid image of how the old train station looked like in my mind, and comparing it to how it looks today ... and boy! talk about a major upgrade!

The New Lynn bus station is located directly adajacent to the train station in the heart of the town centre, so it is the ideal location for a TOD encouraging people to choose public transport over travelling in private vehicles around the city. With an increasing public conscious over the rise of petrol costs, the recently opened up new train station couldn't have come at a better time!

Living in the area, I have witnessed and experienced a lot of the pros and cons of this rail development.

During construction, there was extensive road closures and detours and a major traffic delays around the train station area. It was virtually every drivers nightmare having to sit in traffic for 10minutes waiting for the light to turn green, all so you could move a couple spots up in the queue.

Since I travel by train to University everyday myself, I've noticed that there has been a significant increase in the number of travellers than before which I'm assuming it is because the train station is much more attractive nowadays, and there are more frquent train services available.

Point being, the upgrade of the New Lynn Train Station has done great things for the New Lynn town centre area because it has essentially created an effective TOD, which the old train station failed to achieve in my opinion.

As a result of this TOD in New Lynn, the town centre has become more lively and I've noticed a significant increase in the foot traffic around the train station area as well.

Once construction is fully completed, I don't doubt that it will be any less attractive or resourceful than Britomart because despite only half is currently unveiled and open for public use, you notice an instanct wow factor the moment you step onto that platform.

Art panels that line the trench wall, adding attraction to the train station (ONTRACK 2010).

For more information and regular updates about the development status of the New Lynn Train Station, follow the link below.

http://www.projectdart.org.nz/default.asp?s1=the%20projects&s2=Western%20Line%20Duplication

Auckland and Wellington, Top Cities of the World?

Auckland and Wellington was recently ranked highly in the 2010 Mercer Worldwide Quality of Living Survey for the most liveable cities.
Auckland took the cake over Wellington ranking in at 4th place, while Wellington just missed out on making the top 10 at 12th place.

As a Aucklander and student Planner, these results actually shock, surprise and fascinate me all at the same time considering that there are thousands of cities in the world, Auckland is ranked the coveted 4th place. No disrespect to Auckland, but in my opinion there are so many great and well-planned cities throughout Europe and America that offers great culture and lifestyles, so I was rather surprised when Auckland was ranked 4th.

Do I think worthy Auckland is worthy of this spot though? Its hard to say because I think it all comes down to personal preference. However, I do feel that Auckland has stepped up in recent years to become a globally competitive city by upgrading their public transport system to making a major regional governance reform.

On the other hand, Wellingtonians would be proud to hear that their the city was ranked 5th in the Eco-City ranking, when Auckland didn't even make it to the top 10 sitting at its 13th spot.

After studying Planning for more than 2 years, you start to develop your thinking like a real life Planner. When I was in Wellington earlier this year, I thought it the city area was really well-planned, and possibly even better than Auckland I must say.
I thought that the heritage buildings of Wellington was really well maintained and preserved, and was integrated well with the other modern buildings.
Lets not forget the stunning views of Oriental Bay as well!

View of Oriental Bay from Te Papa rooftop.

View of Wellington City harbour and Oriental Bay from top of cable car

From a Planning perspective, its interesting to find an article like this when you think about all the aspects that make a city liveable and consider them among the global ranks of other cities. Something to think about and food for thought for sure.

Click on the link below to read the article yourself and see the full top 10 lists.

http://travel.msn.co.nz/destinations/newzealand/1059136/new-zealand-cities-named-in-worlds-best

Great Bow Yard: A model for low energy development towards zero-carbon and sustainable housing.

Great Bow Yard:

A riverside sustainable housing project on the edge of the rural market town, Langport (Griffiths 2007).

My 403-Housing class has got me quite fascinated with the hot topic of sustainable housing lately!
I'm currently working my second assignment on the topic of sustainable housing (of course..) and our task is find a sustainable overseas housing project and then prepare 4x display panels for it.

Unfortunately, my poor time management skills have got the better of me and I don't have any completed display panels to put up and show you guys. But luckily, I have done some research and found out some pretty amazing things about Great Bow Yard which I didn't even know existed, let alone possible.

Great Bow Yard is a sustainable housing development located in Langport, Somerset (UK).

It is a unique riverside development of 12 differently sized dwellings divided into two North and East Wing terraces. Why divide the two wings into terraces you ask??

Well, the smart cookie architects at Eco-Homes have deliberately did this because they have designed the terraces orientated towards to the sun and so all houses in this project are highly energy efficient because of this.

Site Plan of Great Bow Yard. Notice how the North and East Wing terraces have orientated differently to best capture the light of the sun from all angles (Griffiths 2007).

The North Wing terrace has these awesome-never-seen-before sunspaces which absorbs the air from outside and actually heats it before releasing it into the dwelling, so minimal artificial heating is required in the chilly season for these dwellings because of the sunspaces.

To add to this, in between the sunspaces are solar panels mounted to once again utilise the sun for water heating. Although it is initially costly to have such solar devices installed, its really gives you more bang for buck in the long-term with all the money you will save in energy and heating costs.

Sunspaces on North Wing Terraces with solar panels mounted in between (Griffiths 2007).


Schmatic section of the North Wing Terrace showing the other sustainable features of the dwellings (Griffiths 2007).

Reference: Griffiths, N. (2007) Great Bow Yard: Anatomy of an Eco-Build, UK: Eco-Logic Books

From countryside to urban centre - Kumeu 2050, perhaps?

If you're reading this and have been keeping track of my previous posts, you would know that in Studio 222 last year we had to create an urban design concept for Kumeu in 2050 to accommodate the anticipated growth pressures.

Kumeu has been identified in the Auckland Regional Growth Strategy (1999) as a regional growth centre for accommodating future population growth in the Auckland region, and for this reason Kumeu would need to undergo significant transformation from a rural-countryside area to an attractive urban centre.

The key means in achieving this would be in attractive Urban Design that specifically and effecitively allocates land for certain purposes.

The Urban Design Concept for Kumeu 2050 we individually prepared required us to state urban design principles we crafted for the Kumeu area specifically and then further elaborate on how we will apply these design prinicples in the way we have allocated our landuses.

*Have a think about your own thoughts and experiences of Kumeu for a second before you read on to my urban design concepts and see if you agree with what I have proposed for Kumue. Do you think it'll work for a place like Kumeu? Maybe, maybe not. Read on to find out....

Urban Design Concept for Kumeu 2050

Introduction

This urban design concept for Kumeu is planned to accommodate a projected population of 10,000 people in 2050. The concept aims to preserve the surrounding countryside of Kumeu by intensifying urban development, and maintaining a similar scale to the current developed land area of Kumeu. The proposed development for Kumeu is a total of 100 hectares, situated in part above the existing Huapai settlement with additional development extending southward.

The table below shows the land use allocation for the urban development, calculated in accordance with the table from Apartment House Unit (1998) as a guideline to fit the context and scale of the Kumeu-Huapai development.

Urban design principles

The following principles are developed from the Auckland Regional Growth Strategy (1999) as a guideline to help deliver more sustainable outcomes, but have been manipulated in a manner to fit the context of Kumeu.

1. Enable greater housing options affordable to varying incomes and are strategically located within the limits of Kumeu.
2. Foster greater employment options and opportunities, enabling employment within each household.
3. Create more opportunities for local businesses to expand and attract more business investments to the area.
4. Upgrade the public transport system and improve connectivity within area to wider parts of Rodney and Auckland to ultimately reduce automobile use and enhance environmental quality.
5. Design a pedestrian orientated street network and block structure to encourage walking, cycling and other non-motorised methods of navigation around area.
6. Facilitate the creation of an integrated network of green spaces that connect with wider natural systems.
7. Protect and preserve significant rural land from future development and urban sprawl by compacting urban development.

Theory

The basic design concept for Kumeu is to form a radial pattern, adopting the hypothetical scheme of ‘Central Place Theory’ by Walter Christaller (1966). This theory has been incorporated into the urban design concept of Kumeu, in the manner that the centre of the radial design will be a concentration of mixed-uses that includes commercial, retail, residential and business functions. It is here that will have greatest amount of services, facilities and functions attracting the surrounding residents of the area. This design concept also adopts the theory of ‘New Urbanism’ (Roseland 2005) concepts of mixed-use combining commercial offices and shops on main spines surrounded by residential, high density so that everything is within walking and cycling distance, and pedestrian links with underground parking and traffic calming on any peripheral roads. Such theories have been adopted in this design concept to assist in delivering more sustainable outcomes.

Housing Variety

The design concept includes a combination of housing typologies which incorporate the mixed uses of commercial and business functions. The overall housing density will be higher than that of the existing Huapai settlement, requiring approximately 5,300 dwellings to accommodate a population of 10,000 by 2050. It is important that a range of housing typologies, prices and sizes are provided to accommodate the various and changing needs of the projected population.

Landmarks and Focal Points

The public square and clock tower above the train station are significant landmarks in the design concept. The centre of the urban area is the train station, acting as a focal point to draw people to the centre. This is further encouraged by the orientation of the street network and permeable block structure that encourages walking and directs pedestrian movement to this centre. The park immediately adjacent to the centre also acts as a focal point and provides a unique representation of the urban-rural mesh created in this design concept.

Street Networks/Block Structure

The street network is designed in an organic manner to resemble a radial pattern. The existing street network of Huapai is largely adopted from north of State Highway 16 to create an organic and natural appearance. However the street pattern is slightly altered to a grid like pattern for connectivity enhancement and further direction of pedestrian and limited vehicular movement to the urban centre. South of the Highway, a majority of the street network includes additional grid-like streets in order to promote walkability and connection between blocks. The design contains small block structures to provide choice and permeability to direct pedestrians and traffic towards the main centre. The small blocks defining the street network facilitates greater physical and visual permeability because it highlights other available choices, and ultimately because smaller blocks make it easier to see from one junction to the other in all directions (Bentley 1981).

Open Space

Open space in the urban area helps to maintain ties with the surrounding rural character of Kumeu. There is a hierarchy of parks in terms of location and size. Two large parks are located at the two main access points to the east and western boundaries of the urban area, increasing amenity values for visitors and local residents.

Social Infrastructure

The design concept will provide a range of facilities in terms of schools, libraries, health care services and recreational facilities to service and meet the needs of residents. In order to ensure the community can access these facilities, they are strategically located upon the main roads and transport corridors.

Employment and Business

The intention is to reduce trips to and from work by providing a range of workplaces close to home. The design concept aims to cater for a range of employment and business opportunities within the urban area. This will be achieved by intensifying development within the urban centre and along main transport corridors. Employment opportunities and business will be incorporated into a mixed use design within the main centre. Commercial and retail activity will be established at ground floor of buildings amongst offices and residential activities above.

Conclusion

The Kumeu Design Concept supports growth of a projected population of 10,000, but has addressed it in a controlled and sustainable way. Urban design principles as well as theories of Christaller (1996) and Roseland (2005) have assisted in designing a sustainable compact form which will reduce potential effects of urban sprawl. Overall this urban design concept for Kumeu aims to accommodate and develop growth at a sustainable rate by strategic integration of urban-rural elements and working alongside smart urban design principles for a dynamic and thriving Kumeu 2050.

References:
Bentley, L. et al. (1986) Responsive Environments, London: Architectural Press.

Moughtin, C. (1996) Urban Design: Green Dimensions, Boston: Butterworth Architecture.

Perry, C. (1998) The Neighbourhood Unit, New York: Routledge/Thoemmes Press.

Roseland, M. et al. (2005) Towards Sustainable Communities: resources for citizens and their governments, Gabriola Island: New Society Publishers.

Sustainable Housing: Earthsong Eco-Neighbourhood

About a week ago, the 403 Housing class went on a fieldtrip to Earthsong visiting New Zealand's first cohousing neighbourhood based on permaculture and eco-design located in the West Auckland suburb of Ranui.

This fieldtrip was for the purposes of building on our learning of sustainable housing, as the topic for our second assignment of this course.

Earthsong is considered as a 'role model' for sustainable housing because the houses there are constructed out of rammed earth and timber built out of non-toxic material while incoporating passive solar principles to sustainably reduce energy consumption.

Solar panels visible on top of houses used for harnessing solar energy.

The Earthsong Eco-neighbourhood demonstrates the lifestyle of community living and the autonomy of private dwellings, while facilitating community interactions and enhancing pedestrian safety due to the design and layout of this eco-neighbourhood.

Resident's cars are to be parked at the edge of this property to create a walkable housing unit and minimise danger for children that play around within this neighbourhood.

The entire eco-neighbourhood is pedestrian focussed to create a walkable unit for residents by not allowing for any vehicle access within.

Carpark area at the edge of the property and the only provision for vehicles on site.

Overall, it was very interesting to see the sustainable housing principles and initiatives applied in Earthsong where there was a common unity or goal among residents to create a sustainable lifestyle within an urbanised area of Auckland.

In centre, a children's playhouse with only pedestrian access that is enclosed by houses.

Impacts of New Zealand Housing Policies

I have advanced my studies this year and taken on board a 4th year housing paper called Shelter Housing and Society.

Our first assignment for the year was about analysing the effects of changes to New Zealand's housing policy on a particular client in the Auckland region, and it was up to us to select our client to base our analysis on.
The client that I had selected was an extended Pacific Island family. Pacific people account for a significant proportion of the Auckland population and are prone to experiece a lot of housing issues in terms of demand and overcrowding. Due to these issues, I thought an extended Pacific Island family would be ideal for analysing the impacts on the client.

This assignment required us to 'build up a picture' of the client in terms of their social and economic circumstances, what their current housing conditions were, and how this might change due to changes in New Zealand's housing policy and it may affect the clients housing decisions in the current and medium term.

This assignment was possibly one the most challenging Planning assignments I have ever had to to (probably because it is a stage 4 paper and I'm a stage 3 student), but nevertheless I learnt a lot in the process doing it, and hopefully the assignment will speak for itself.

Follow the link below to take a look:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AR6-FN7q5s89ZGNqbmdkdmdfMTFncnp4NG5rcg&hl=en

Big Plans for Sylvia Park

New Zealand's largest retailer - Sylvia Park

(Source: Google Images)

When I was doing my daily news round on the Herald website today, I came across this article about more plans for urban intensification at Sylvia Park which discusses the planning side of the project and the implications for the area.

Kiwi Income Property Trust is noted to be the $1.8 billion landlord for the 24ha vacant land around the Sylvia Park shopping complex, and has sought permission to what is described to be a 'mini-city' of high rise apartments and office buildings that will tower around the motorway.

There are so many concerns that will arise out of this proposal if it gets approval from the Council to go ahead with intensification plans because of the implications on the community, traffic congestion and the general public.

As a chronic shopper myself, I'm often put off venturing out to Sylvia Park because it is such a mission to get there. Not because of the distance, but because you have to get on the always congested Southern motorway and parking is an absolute nightmare. After studying Planning for a couple of years, when you read something like this and think of you own experiences, all the implications for this kind of development and in its particular location just starts flooding into your head. A 'mini-city' of high-rise apartments and office buildings will increase the traffic flow significantly and place increasing pressure around the surrounding environment of Sylvia Park.
This will also increase pressure for public transport initiatives to help reduce congestion problems and support this increase daily flow of people in and out of Sylvia Park.
However, what some people don't realise is that no matter how good the public transport system is, it will never fully replace the convenience and comfort of a private vehicle.
So even though there is adequate public transport to Sylvia Park now, and there are plans for improving this service there, it may not fully eliminate the traffic congestion implications to this project.

So from a Planning pespective, this project for Sylvia Park is going to be a huge undertaking that will require careful and strategic planning in order to reduce and avoid the associated implications. Not to mention all the consultation and extensive consent process it will have to go through, and drafting up a bunch of plans. Phew! Glad I don't have to do that yet, and I don't live or work around Sylvia Park.

Heres the link to article, read it and see for yourelf.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10638216

Working hard. The key to success??

The essay below was written in a Stage 1 paper of Economics and Sociology 102. It argues whether working hard can determine your social mobility and your position within the stratification of a social system.
The film '8 Mile' and the protagonist Eminem is used as a case study for demonstrating whether this merocratic statement is true and is the key to success.

The following essay will argue why the meritocratic statement of “work hard and you will succeed” is in support of individual effort as the best determinant for social mobility and stratification within a competitive social system. Social factors are hard to overcome and change in order for one to gain success in social mobility and to achieve a higher status within the stratification of the social system. Social mobility and vertical stratification within the social system is then more easily gained through ones individual effort and motivation to succeed because the social factors are overcome and set aside when trying to succeed. To clearly demonstrate the relevance of individual effort to gain social mobility, the character Rabbit in the film 8 Mile has shown that his motivation and individual effort to succeed in the rapping industry has enabled him to be socially mobile in the competitive and stratified social system of Detroit. Rabbit’s individual effort to pursue success is further explored to explain why meritocracy is a desirable feature of society given Rabbit’s sociological imagination in Detroit that involved his personal troubles and “the public issues of social structure” (Mills 2003, p.17).

Meritocracy can be defined as “status attained exclusively as a function of actual abilities, performance, achievement, merit or worth” in terms of the socioeconomic status (Kamolnik 2005, p.87). This provides evidence that meritocracy is in direct relevance of individual effort to gain social mobility within a competitive social system. Social mobility is the “movement of people or groups from one class another” (Newman 2006, p.376). However, to become socially mobile in a social system that is highly competitive requires a significant amount of individual effort because this ensures that success can be achieved. Rabbit has precisely shown in 8 Mile that he was able to gain social mobility in Detroit and globally today because of his individual effort to effectively utilise his rapping talent. Therefore, his individual effort was the crucial component to achieving his social mobility within the socially competitive city of Detroit. Set in 1995, Detroit is depicted as a city that is socially disabled due to the lack of enforcement in the presence of street gang violence and the burnt and abandoned buildings. Many would agree that a white American like Rabbit would receive very little support or praise for his rapping talent in a black race dominated genre of music. It was due Rabbit’s individual effort of persisting to showcase his unconventional talent and passion for rap that ultimately led to his social mobility of not only becoming the top rapper in Detroit but also becoming an international rap sensation today known by the name of Eminem. Therefore, Rabbit is a prime example to demonstrate why the social mobility of individuals is best determined by meritocratic individual effort in even the most difficult social systems like Detroit. As Kamolnick (2005, p. 89) has noted, “..work effort in full or part. It is the criterion for linking work-effort to entitlement to valued goods.”

Another aspect of the competitive social system that is best determined by individual effort than social factors is social stratification. Social stratification is “the ranking of entire groups of people that perpetuates unequal rewards and life chances in society” (Newman and Harper 2002, p.327). Clearly, those that belong to lower class families are at the bottom of the social stratification and those that belong to higher class families are at the top. Changes to an individual’s position within the stratification can be inter-generational over several lifetimes if you were dependent upon social factors to achieve a vertical movement in the stratification of society. Due to the fact that individuals do not have the ability to change the social factors operating around them, the expectation of reaching the top of the social stratification in an intra-generation is unlikely. It is more reliable to depend on our own individual effort to try and achieve a transition within one generation because individual effort has greater power in defeating the surrounding social factors and overcoming them. Rabbit’s vertical movement within the social stratification of Detroit and America is purely due to his individual effort and not the social factors present which acted as negative forces against him. Rabbit lives in a city that provides little opportunities for success in terms of social mobility and stratification. Elements within Detroit that surround Rabbit are negative social factors that do little to enhance his position within the social stratification and the overall functioning of his mentality. Therefore, Rabbit’s rise to the top of the social stratification in Detroit and globally today is purely due to his own individual effort of his determination to make an intra-generational change of his position within society.

Based on the success that Rabbit has achieved in his social mobility and stratification within the social system of Detroit, he is living proof of why meritocracy is a highly desirable feature of society. Meritocracy requires of individuals to depend on their own effort in order to gain success in their social mobility and movement in terms of vertical stratification. Meritocracy reflects on the similar ideology of competitive individualism that further supports individual effort. The cultural belief is that “The way to be successful is to work hard, strive toward goals, and compete well against others” (Newman 2005, p.376). An increase in the meritocratic attitudes of people can improve the overall quality of the society that people live in because it enhances social mobility and vertical movement in social stratification. This allows for the reputation and conditions of the sociological environment to blossom due to meritocracy as a feature present in society.

Sociologists over the past century have agreed that social mobility is better explained by social factors than individual effort. Such as “..class differences in birthrates have facilitated social mobility” and the birth of industrialisation creating more employment (McIntyre, 2006). However, the points that McIntyre have raised here are not factual for all the different social classes that are a “group of people who share a similar economic position in society based on their wealth and income” (Newman 2005, p.376). Social mobility is not facilitated by the birthrates of class differences because regardless of whether you are from the upper or lower social class, your social mobility will still be determined by how hard you work to achieve that social mobility. This can be supported by “Abraham Lincoln and Henry Ford, who rose above terrible conditions to make it to the top” (Newman 2005, p.376). Both individuals may not have necessarily received aid from an upper class family background, but their own individual effort to gain social mobility to the top of the social stratification reinforces the fact that “anybody can be successful if he or she simply has the desire and puts in the necessary effort” (Newman 2005, p.376). Additionally, the birth of industrialisation that created employment also did little to help individuals in raising their social mobility. Such an example is Rabbit, it was only when Rabbit took the initiative to make an effort and break away from a job that was unproductive to the advancement of his social mobility and stratification which really brought him success in the end. Therefore, social mobility in this past century is not better explained by social factors because there is evidence present to prove that it is in fact, untrue.

In conclusion, individual effort is a better determinant of social mobility and stratification than social factors in a competitive social system because it can ensure the meritocratic individual success. This is seen in the character of Rabbit in the film 8 Mile, where he successfully gained social mobility and vertical stratification within Detroit despite the urban decay. His success is a perfect example of why meritocracy is a desirable feature of society because it enables individuals to be socially mobile and work at their full potential. Finally, this proves to show that if you do work hard then you will succeed in the social systems.


Just reading over my essay, and thinking about this statement of 'Work hard and you will succeed', it really made me think about my current situation as a 3rd year planning student and this statement is definitely true! You can definitely feel the step up in work load and the level of expectations from the year before. Time management is essential and you realise that you really need to commit and invest time and effort into doing your assignments and understanding the content. I admit that I seldomly do this, but when I actually do, I find that I achieve better results. So, 'Work hard and you will succeed'?? I THINK SO!!

An Urban Design Concept for Kumeu - 2050

In stage 2 of Studio 223, our study area was Kumeu located in the Rodney District.
As part of our studio projects, we each individually drafted up our own growth strategy for Kumeu and created an urban design concept for Kumeu in 2050 as a group. This design concept combined all the best features from each members project for accommodating future growth and stimulating economic activity in Kumeu. In addition, this final project involved the application of good urban design principles and drawing on the knowledge of what we learned in the previous studio course to create a viable and feasible design for Kumeu.

The following is a detailed study of the urban design we created for Kumeu, that focusses on the urban design principles and rationale for a selected block within the design concept.

Urban Design – Detailed Study
The urban block selected for this detailed study from the Urban Design Concept for Kumeu 2050 is a mid rise, 4-storey, residential apartment block with a site area of 120m2.
At a site area of 120m2 (60m x 60m), this meets the guidelines set by the Regional Growth Forum (2003) for Auckland Housing Choices because the suitable site area for a mid rise apartment block is set at 150m2 or less.

The block has been subdivided into 2 main buildings that contain the apartment units and encloses a communal space in the centre of the block. This subdivision of the block enables the presence of an open space and provides residents with the access of it from the street. Furthermore, it allows for adequate sunlight to get into the apartment units this way.

This urban block was selected because it would be interesting for a detailed study, considering that it is surrounding by a different land use and housing typology on each side. The figure below show the exact location of the selected block in relation to the Urban Design Concept for Kumeu and its surroundings of an open space, 6-storey apartment block and a block of row housing.

Sketch of the Urban Design Concept for Kumeu 2050 where different coloured blocks represented different housing typologies and functions (E.g Residential or Commercial).

Urban Design Principles and Rationale

• All dwellings should have a public front and private back (Bentley 1986).

This block has been subdivided and designed in the manner that residents will have a public front facing the enclosing streets and access to a private back in the form of a shared communal space located in the centre of the block. This communal space is semi-private in the manner that is shared amongst the residents and can only be accessed by them because a locked gate prevents public access to this space. Hence this principle is met by the creation of a ‘perimeter block’ from the subdivision to help achieve this principle of a public front and private back.

• Smaller blocks for allow for greater visual and physical permeability (Bentley 1986).

The selected block is small at 120m2 (60m x 60m) in size. A small block will provide more options in terms of routes and help achieve greater visual and physical permeability. It increases the awareness of pedestrians and drivers that there are other options available to navigate around the urban area, other than the main route of State Highway 16. This also provides residents with more options to access their apartments and the surroundings of the site because residents are able to walk directly through the block, by crossing through the communal space.

• Provide a community green and commons to facilitate social interaction between residents.

A central green communal space is placed in the centre of block as a foundation for facilitating social interaction between residents of the block and as a place of gathering (Nelessen 1994). This communal space integrates hard and soft areas with soft areas of small shrubs and a grass verge that encircles the tree marking the centre of this space and the hard impervious areas of concrete that surround the soft areas. Aside from the street access to this space, residents have direct access from inside the building by the stairs that lead down to this private area.

• Provide Definition to edges of a block and enhance a sense of place in the landscape.

Peripheral open space defines the edge of the block by a line of small trees. This enhances the block by creating a sense of entry and exit into the block and makes it more identifiable across the landscapes, as well as adding aesthetic quality to the urban area and the surroundings of the block (Nelessen 1994).

Figure 1: Line of trees on the periphery of the apartment block enhancing aesthetic quality of the street and entry/exit points to the block.

(Source: Google Images)

• Encourage walkability with a permeable block structure that encourages easy pedestrian access and enhance pedestrian safety.

The block is a simple and permeable square shape that encourages walking and provides an option of routes to other places in the urban area. This encourages walkability in the block because it is visually permeable for pedestrians to see in all directions. The corners of the building are ‘softened’ by not having sharp 45o angle edges because it promotes pedestrian safety by enhancing vision around the corner.

Figure 2: Example of an apartment block with a ‘softened’ edge to enhance visibility around corners and promote pedestrian safety.

(Source: Google Images).

References:

Alexander, C. (1977) A Pattern Language: towns, buildings, construction, New York: Oxford University Press.
Bentley, L. et al. (1986) Responsive Environments, London: Architectural Press.
Nelessen, A. (1994) Visions for a new America Dream: Process, principles, and an ordinance to plan and design small communities, Washington: Planners Press.
Regional Growth Forum (2003) Auckland Housing Choices: A guide to housing definitions commonly used in the Auckland Regional Growth Strategy.
Figure 1: Google Images http://www.insitearchitects.com.au/assets/images/projects/buckley_st_apartments_01.jpg
Figure 2: Google Images
http://www.internationalcity-dubai.com/files/projects/304/international_city_italy-l.jpg

Freemans Bay Revelopment Model

In stage 1, our study area for Studio 123 was Freemans Bay. Part of our final project for Studio was to create a redevlopment proposal for Freemans Bay that integrated what we had learned in the course throughout the entire semester.
E.g Housing Typologies and Urban Design Principles.

We were required to put together a report that outlined our redevelopment proposal and to also create a model for it. The model was fun but rather stressful to make because it had to be to scale, and things got rather confusing in the process. It was my first experience at making something like this, and its a lot harder than I thought. Luckily it was a group effort!
It was also interesting to visually see what were proposing to redevelop in Freemans Bay and it actually makes you think even more of whether it will be viable.

Here are a few snaps that I recovered showing the model that my group and I created.

Streetscape between 2-storey apartments in orange, and 4-storey apartments in white.

Purple blocks are 3-storey apartment blocks, and the orange represent 2-storey apartment blocks.

4-storey apartment blocks in white, and our attempt of showing the road with the white strip in the middle between the trees we made.

Plan view of the model for Freemans Bay redevelopment proposal.

Te Hana Fieldtrip Experience

The overarching theme for our studio 322 this semester is cultural difference and diversity.

As Planners in NZ, it is absolutely crucial that we recognise cultural difference and diversity because NZ is such a multicultural nation and we are essentially a bicultural base between Maori and Pakeha. So as part of our learning and recognition of the Maori culture and customs, we were privledged enough to have an overnight stay at a marae in order for us to have the ultimate firsthand experience for Maori traditions and customs.

Our original plan was to stay overnight at Te Hana, but due to an unfortunate bureavement at the village we were unable to and so we ended up at another marae out in West Auckland if I remember correctly.

We were fortunate enough to have Lena Henry's parents (Whaia and Matua) who took us through step by step of Maori customs and how to do a proper Maori greeting with a hongi, before we went on the trip to prevent us from any potential embarrassments!
Whaia and Matua stayed with us throughout the entire duration of the trip and actually imparted a lot of their wisdom with us during those 2 days.

Although I have been on a Marae before, I have never actually received this proper Maori welcoming onto a Marae. It was quite extensive and powerful, so it was definitely an eye opener for me.

One of the main purposes for going to Te Hana was to study the villages community development project. It was really amazing to see these people so committed and driven to achieve this project by fundraising efforts and volunteer work within the Te Hana community.

They are not only trying to build a stronger community base themselves, but also establish Te Hana as a destination in its own right, and not just an area where people drive past.


What we saw at the village will still at the construction stage, and I guess you can call it the skeleton of what is to come. We were even fortunate enough to see the actual plans of what they were planning for where and gave us an insight of why they were also doing it.


Personally, I think it will be interesting to see how the village will transform and how it will look once construction finishes because I will be able to mentally compare the before and after and see how much it has changed.

Here is some of the shots from the Te Hana village

Are Cities Useful? - Creative Communities

As the population of Auckland continues grow and to a predicted 2 million people by 2050 (ARGS 1999), there is increasing pressure to accommodate these people.

Cities are the main urban centres where growth can be accommodated because of the ability for intensive development to prevent urban sprawl.

Although we can answer this question of "Are Cities Useful?" straight away for many obvious reasons, as part of our Planning100 Creative Communities paper, we had to construct a more academic arguement.
Follow the link below to see what I had to say.

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AR6-FN7q5s89ZGNqbmdkdmdfMTJkNHBqMm5ncg&hl=en

Chelsea Sugar Refinery District Plan

Chelsea Sugar Refinery Site (Source: Google Images)

In our Studio 222 'Making Plans' paper last year, we studied the Chelsea Sugar Refinery site.

One of the major assignments that we did was drafting a District Plan for the site that outlined alternative land uses in event that sugar refinery operations discontinued operating.

The Chelsea site is considered to be of regional and national significance because of the immense heritage and environmental values that it contains, and these need to be protected. Not to mention, the Chelsea brand is pracitically a Kiwi icon!

Due to the sites location on the Waitemata Harbour and within Auckland's metropolitan urban limit, it is a prime location for accommodating future growth which places the site's heritage and environment values in a vulnerable position.
Therefore, this requires strategic planning and policy to protect these values when planning for alternative land uses of this site.

The topic of my policy analysis for the site was based on the coastal environment. This is a very significant and relevant topic considering the site is located on the coastal edge which contains immense environmental values and will be in need of protection from any future development.

The assignment was my first taste of what a Policy Planner does and though I admit it was not an easy task, looking back on it, I've learned a lot for sure.

I've loaded the document onto google docs, so follow the link below and have a skim!

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AR6-FN7q5s89ZGNqbmdkdmdfM2ZxcDVyYmZy&hl=en

Integrated Catchment Management

Kaipara River Catchment Boundary (Source Auckland Regional Council 2009).

In Planning there are so many aspects that we need to consider that can be broadly categorised as social, economic and environmental apsects.

In the second stage of BPlan, we did an 'Environmental Planning' paper where we did an extensive project by creating our own Integrated Catchment Management (ICM) plan based on a catchment in the Auckland region.
The catchment that I carried out research with 2 other team members was the Kaipara River up by the Helensville area.

For those of you out there that doesn't know what an ICM is, it is basically ".. a research proposal and organising philosophy that links research on water as a pollutant transporting medium" (van Roon and Knight 2004, p. 272) for the purpose to "..solve interconnected water quality and ecosystem problems rather than individual discharges or individual water bodies" (van Roon and Knight 2007, p. 284).

This project was carried out in 2 stages over the course of the semester. The 1st stage was about identifying the natural characteristics of the catchment (and any human modifications) in order to give a sense of the issues that were present and to create a ICM plan for the resolution of these problems in the 2nd stage.
It sounds complicated, I know! but once you get your head around the fact that everything happening upstream affects downstream and water quality problems are interconnected, you'll gradually get the hang of things!

Here is the summary diagram that I did that links the issue identified in the catchment with all the problems it can create. Its a bit complicated so I hope your eyes can handle it!

Here is Part 1 of the catchment plan. I had to reduce the size of it by removing some photos and graphs because google docs doesn't allow me to upload the whole document. Nevertheless, all the information is there so I'll leave it to your imagination to subsidise the photos!

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AR6-FN7q5s89ZGNqbmdkdmdfNWNiMjd2eG5o&hl=en

What is Planning?

Since this is a blog about Planning where and I display some of the projects that I have completed over the past 2 years as a planning student, I thought it would be a good idea to actually explain what exactly planning is first. To this day in my 3rd year of study, I still get stuck on the question of "What is planning?" when people ask what I study. Although it is such a simple question and I really should know by now, it is difficult to pin point or explain in a simple sentence because it is such a broad subject covering so many aspects of society.
So, I decided to seek assistance from the ultimate planners at the New Zealand Planning Institute (NZPI), where they have answered what I still can't after 2 years.

'What is Planning? What do Planners do? and Why do we need Planners?'

What is Planning?
Good planning helps to create better communities and enrich peoples’ lives.

Planners Shape the Future.
Planning is a profession concerned with the design, function, and quality of cities, regions, towns, and natural environments. Planners explore a very wide range of aspects of the natural and built environments on issues as wide ranging as urban design, transport, housing, parks and recreation, and both urban and rural development. Planners work at national, regional, local, and even neighbourhood scales. Planners work in a variety of social contexts and manage a range of development, economic, and community challenges. Planning has become an increasingly global profession as the traditional planning challenges of population growth become intertwined with new challenges, such as climate change.

Why do we need Planners?
Since Ebenezer Howard's time, many different approaches and models toward planning have been applied. There have been many proponents for differing approaches to planning, many of which have had unintended consequences. Technology has continued to shape our cities, affect our environment, and impact our quality of life. The problems of the Industrial Revolution have continued, and new challenges have arisen as global economies and even people become increasingly interdependent.
Planners solve today's problems and prepare for tomorrow's challenges. The central focus of planning is on the use of land, one of our most valuable and limited natural resources. However, the way in which we plan and develop our cities, towns, and regions affects other important resources - oil and energy, water and air quality, and even the liveability of our neighbourhoods.

Reference: http://www.nzplanning.co.nz/WHAT-IS-PLANNING/default.asp

Phew!! Us Planners sure have our work cut out for us. Especially for those of us in Auckland with the whole Supercity debacle. Don't even want to think about it!!

Here a few words of mine that spring into mind when I ask myself:

WHAT IS PLANNING??