Inquiry in to land regulation
Peter’s post this morning (written a few days ago) seems extra timely considering news out yesterday about the latest inquiry the government has set for the Productivity Commission. The inquiry is to look at how local authorities regulate to make land available for housing.…
9 Comments Space is expensive in cities, so why don’t we use it more efficiently?
Land is a scarce and expensive resource in Auckland, as the city’s strong economy and natural amenities (sunlight! beaches! bush!) mean that a lot of people want to live in a relatively small area. But we often insist upon acting like urban space is worth nothing – why else would we have so many underutilised parking lots around the place?…
Stuart’s 100 #24 Missing from the City Centre
24: Missing from the City Centre What if the city centre had more shops and services for its 27,000 odd apartment dwellers?
As is well documented on this blog, Auckland’s city centre is undergoing a pretty radical transformation before our very eyes.…
The Alternative Mode Commute
Yesterday I decided I would complete what I call the Ultimate Alternative Mode Commute. In essence I managed to combine walking, cycling, a bus, a train and a ferry trip into my commute between Henderson and Takapuna. I started by riding along Northwest cycleway in to town including down the newly opened Grafton Gully cycleway.…
Freeing us from traffic
Yesterday the Herald ran a fantastic opinion piece from Dr Jamie Hosking who is a senior lecturer and health and transport researcher at the University of Auckland. As he says at the end, it’s “a timely reminder for the Auckland Council as it considers whether to reduce spending on big new roading projects.…
Stuart’s 100 #23: The Knowledge
23: The Knowledge What if taxi drivers knew this city better than you?
A light-hearted observation really; but it seems that in recent times the average taxi driver in Auckland has a very poor knowledge of destinations and how to get around this city.…
NW Busway update
Along with information about the Downtown open space options, the agenda for the councils Development Committee (19 MB) contains an update on the Northwestern Busway. This seems like especially good timing considering the NW busway is something that has been suggested would be cut as part of the next Long Term Plan.…
Better cities mean a wealthier New Zealand
Last week I took a look at whether government policy to support regional economies could divert growth away from Auckland. Based on the historical evidence, the answer seems to be no – people want to live in Auckland and start businesses here, and it’s senseless to try and stop that.…
Stuart’s 100 #22: Podocarps for Perpetuity
22: Podocarps for Perpetuity What if we planted more of our ancient podocarps for an Auckland 200 years from now?
Idea 3 expounding the virtues of our heritage plane tree avenues generated some debate around the planting of natives versus exotic plants in New Zealand’s towns and cities.…
Replacing the Te Wero Bridge
Brian Rudman wrote an opinion piece a few days ago about plans to replace the Te Wero Bridge that connects Wynyard Quarter to the CBD
It’s true the $3.7 million Te Wero drawbridge across the Viaduct Harbour was not built with longevity in mind.…
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