Building new public transit networks brings into focus the link between transport and urban form. WSP Head of Urban Design & Landscape Architecture Alan Whiteley and Principal Urban Designer Haley Hooper look at how Auckland's ambitious transport plans are set to create greener, better-connected, more liveable city spaces and precincts.
map marker
New Zealand
|
Wednesday, 20 April 2022
Next time you’re on Google Earth, zoom in on Tāmaki Makaurau. It quickly becomes clear that Auckland’s urban layout has been significantly shaped by its transport infrastructure.
Communities in the city have been catalysed by transport routes for over 150 years. When the first railways were built in 1871, settlements mushroomed south of the CBD. More sprang up from 1915 as the rail network was extended and electric tram system was built. The conglomeration we see today began after WW2 when the Harbour Bridge and motorways were built.
Credit: Hamilton City Council Library
A spider’s web of transport links now connects the city – accommodating a population of 1.7 million Kiwis and counting. With multi-billion-dollar investments in rapid transit heading Auckland’s way, the stage is now set for the next chapter in the city’s urban future.
Catalyst for change
The additional Waitemata Harbour Connection and Light Rail from city centre to airport will be about much more than an A to B transport spine. They’ll be the foundation of Auckland’s vision for an integrated public transit system that will unlock urban communities around the four points of the compass.
Central to how we see this happening is a ‘hub and spoke’ model, where development clusters around stations - leading to more connected city-wide travel and featuring community facilities, new homes, green spaces, shops, restaurants and offices.
Rethinking precincts
Urban precincts that spring up around stations feature greater housing density and beautifully designed public spaces that foster interaction and promote health, happiness and wellbeing. More active modes of travel are a priority in this kind of city-making. The role of the car is de-emphasised.
WSP and partners have teamed up on many city-making infrastructure projects that connect the transit and urban development dots. We’ve seen first-hand from overseas experience how they can catalyse city-wide and neighbourhood-level benefits and unlock urban potential.
Sydney’s Metro project, Melbourne’s Southern Program Alliance and Newcastle Light Rail, for example, are tremendous feats of engineering that are reinvigorating the urban environment. Surrounding areas are being revitalised with mixed housing, commercial buildings and pedestrian connections. Shared-use spaces are popping up everywhere - connecting residents and helping boost local economies.
These kinds of transit-oriented communities are the result of symbiotic relationships between dense, compact urban form and public transport use. Combining the best in urban strategy and planning with technical engineering excellence will positively define Auckland’s urban trajectory for the next 100+ years.
Showing people what good looks like
Auckland is a city with an established history of vehicle-based transport. Its residents still default to journeying by car. Vehicle kilometres travelled remain stubbornly high. Turning this around will require a behavioural shift and showing people the social and environmental benefits of living in connected urban communities.
There is significant opportunity in Auckland’s upcoming transit projects for urban design experts to work with transport planners to develop liveable communities connected by Light Rail – where all the things that contribute to living a good life are a short walk, cycle or quick public transport trip away.
Locating more affordable and diverse housing with convenient access to services, amenities, recreation and nature will be a win for the environment, city congestion, health, wellbeing and transport equity.
We’re confident that once people see the benefits of this kind of urban living, they’ll be more likely to question the utility (and sustainability) of the quarter-acre dream and an urban sprawl that is now starting to encroach into some of the most fertile soils north and south of the city.
Community engagement
He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata! He tangata! He tangata! What is the most important thing in this world? It is people, it is people, it is people
In showing people there’s a better urban alternative, bringing them on the journey is key. That’s where community engagement comes into its own.
Locals must be involved – early and often – and engagement with mana whenua is a priority. As experienced place makers, we understand that the community is the expert, and that early engagement and co-design creates the environment for meaning and belonging in our places.
From residents and businesses to corner store retailers and all the agents of city-making that will be affected by new transport and urban infrastructure, involving the entire community means they gain a sense of collective ownership around how projects are developed. And once the ribbon is cut on projects, they will feel a greater sense of belonging.
Bringing together investment in rapid transit with urban development initiatives that are good for people and planet represent a once-in-a-generation city-shaping opportunity. It says a lot about the maturity of Auckland that creating vibrant, safe urban spaces will be a key outcome in their transport plans.
Our hope is that the transport projects soon to be undertaken in Auckland will inspire others around the country to also look to the future in designing more accessible, inclusive, community-oriented cities.
Light Rail: An Enabler of Sustainable Growth for Tāmaki Makaurau
Tāmaki Makaurau is facing immense population and climate-related pressures which the Auckland Light Rail project has the potential to help alleviate. Sean Myers, WSP Head of Rail makes the case for the necessity of a Rapid Transit System for Tāmaki Makaurau.
When light rail starts rolling in the City of Sails, stations and stops should be safe and accessible for everyone - not just those who fit the average, able-bodied 'mould'. WSP Technical Principal for Behavioural Science Jared Thomas and People Research Manager Louise Malcolm explain.
Before cars ruled the roads, our thoroughfares were places for mixing and mingling. In a great example of urban placemaking, a pioneering programme developed by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency put people back at the heart of streets up and down the country. WSP Technical Principal for Walking and Cycling Peter Kortegast looks at how initiatives like these are reinventing how engineers go about transport planning.
Globally our cities have been growing rapidly and by 2050 two thirds of the projected world population will live in urban centres. Here in Aotearoa, around 86% of our population live in cities – and this is projected to continue or increase. David Kidd, WSP Director Client Experience and Strategic Advisory, explores how a Future Ready approach could help manage growth in Aotearoa.
