50: Auckland at the Crossroads
What if intersections were nice places to be?
Much has been said already on this topic on the blog. The place qualities of intersections in Auckland have typically been destroyed where a sole focus has been placed on through traffic capacity and flow.
This matters because intersections tend to be important places for other things than just vehicular traffic. The health of a busy street or neighbourhood could be measured by the state of its intersections, and sadly, in Auckland, the vast majority of signalised intersections are in a very poor state for anything other than people passing through in cars.
Wouldn’t Auckland be a much better place if intersections could – at least in the most modest ways like providing ample room to wait on the corner and taking less time to cross to the other side – become much nicer places to be? We need some more modest and readily achievable goals; quick fixes for intersections could be one of them.
Stuart Houghton 2014
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This Blog Site must be sponsored by some organisation because of the amount of topics, and Daily Information that is created and put out to the Public. Does Auckland Council sponser this site?
Nope it’s 100% volunteer run, with the occasional movie night or donation drive to pay hosting costs.
Oh god i wish!. No we’re just a bunch of nutters without lives, doing what we can to help un-fuck auckland.
Somone add that to your About Us page. 🙂
This is why:
Patrick, have you thought about adding a link to Paypal or perhaps setting up a Patreon page? I’m sure many of us would love to chip in a small amount each.
Intersections by their nature are high traffic areas.
Why would you want to provide an opportunity for people to sit down in such a place? Seating would obstruct pedestrian traffic and what would the people sitting down look at? Cars driving by in the street? People going about their daily lives? Surely people would prefer to sit in more tranquil areas than provide an obstruction at a major intersection.
The footpath aspect has some relevancy though Queen St and some of the surrounding roads already have such footpaths.
LOL @ Patrick Reynolds “we’re just a bunch of nutters without lives” I’m going to file that quote for later reference!
That’s what a lot of Al Fresco urban dinning/drinking/latte consumption is about – World watching from a nice relaxed location. Chilling amongst the urban chaos! Making intersections into a PLACE rather than a thorough-FEAR!
You’re missing out Matthew. There’s stuff to enjoy out there beyond your front door and the windshield. My advice? You sound like you need to get out more often, to be blunt. Maybe start with baby steps. Inside a coffee shop around Queen and Quay, or Albert and Quay. Just sit and watch the world go by at the intersection. Then, when you’ve got enough confidence, and the timing is right, find a sunny spot outside with a bench or seat or just a wall. Feel the wind on you face. Hear the conversations. Sense what people are doing with their lives.
Cities are all about intersections. Good cities understand that and make them better places to meet and live life around, whether for business or pleasure. Good cities don’t cause people to flee the ‘traffic’.
de bretts corner bar in the late afternoon, on the pavement or at the elevated window bar: sun slashing down between the buildings, the forms of the Jean Batten building opposite, people rushing or sauntering…. great urban theatre, the full sidewalk ballet.
DeBretts. That was totally my other start point.
…and the spectacle of traffic at that intersection!
Sooooo needs to be closed to traffic along with Queen St….
TRM is missing a basic human observation dating back to ape times. Humans like to watch other humans going about their business. They take enjoyment from that. Maybe he’s an android and just not programmed that way?
This is my favorite one. Great work Stuart.
I can’t even imagine how to improve/change them? The pedestrians certainly bunch up at times and make it hard for old folks with walking sticks to cope with.
Corners like they have in the l’eixample part of Barcelona would work here. The buildings aren’t perfectly square, so there’s a step back on every corner allowing space for pedestrians, seating, cafes etc.
Handy diagram: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eixample#mediaviewer/File:Eixample.svg
It’s a lovely part of the city to live in. Very walkable and pleasant.
Times Square was once an intersection. It’s now one of the world’s great urban spaces: http://www.amara.org/en/videos/SAkanCn7W29l/info/
Starks is the best place in the city to sit with a coffee and look at the people.