While many of us would like to see Queen Street pedestrianised yesterday, it is important to know more pedestrian-friendly areas in downtown Auckland are coming.
Putting people first is part of the transformational City Centre Masterplan which will go hand in hand with the completion of the City Rail Link. Work is due to begin on turning over parts of Queen Street to be more people focused by the end of this year. We will have an arts precinct around the town hall and yes, we’ll have a subway! These have been in the pipeline for a long time and I commend those who have helped build this vision for Auckland.
I’m also interested in not just how people will move around our new-look city, but where they will live. Auckland has been growing for many years and until recently that meant very dull, small and badly built apartments, which in some parts of the city dominate the skyline. They are the result of poor leadership in this area. We had the worst of both worlds, highly restrictive codes and not enough intelligent input.
The buildings around Hobson Street are almost all exactly the same height as a consequence. Worst still we tended to build out, many kilometres away from the heart of the city, using valuable horticultural land for housing and forcing thousands to commute to work for many hours a day. It has congested our roads and led to environmentally damaging air pollution. We weren’t alone in this approach however, many cities across the world did this to the detriment of their citizens’ wellbeing.
It has become apparent to both major political parties that the cost of building out is not sustainable, thus we have an accord which will allow greater site coverage and going up three stories, with six stories around transport hubs. The government has set aside 3.8 billion dollars to expedite the building of many more houses by paying for infrastructure.
I appreciate that people worry about the intensification of Auckland. I appreciate also, there is concern about losing the heritage, and I know the council is going through a process at present of safeguarding historically significant buildings. I also understand the need to make sure there are green spaces and good facilities for families, like schools within walking distance. I have been meeting with the Ministry of Education and advocating for a new primary school in the inner city.
Building up instead of out is essential for our environment, well-being, inclusiveness, and for me importantly, the affordability of the central city. It must of course this time be done well. But we live in a time when imaginative urban designers and architects will build us a beautiful, affordable and environmentally friendly city.
I advocate that we draw on places like Copenhagen. I was lucky enough to recently visit Denmark and found it full of well-designed apartments, adequate parks and great traffic management. It has excellent public transport, controlled entry for cars, priority for bicycles and walking, and is a vibrant city as a result. People want to spend time in its pedestrianised streets. I see a brilliant future for our city if we can learn from its example.
Of course those who want to protect heritage here in Auckland play a valuable part as watchdogs. I know however that the reality is intensification and needs to be managed well, and not rejected. We are all aware that the environmental cost of doing nothing is unsustainable in the face of global warming.
I am concerned about the health implications of all those cars polluting the air in Auckland Central. I am concerned about all those people spending their lives commuting. I am concerned about the older people in our community who need affordable, more practical and communal options in the community in which they brought up their families.
I am also determined to help find a way that their children are not locked out of living close to their whanau. These things can all best happen with well supported housing intensification. (Helen White)
This article was funded by the Parliamentary Service.
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