Late last year I sat down outside Waitematā Station with the Godfather of the CRL to discuss how he did it, plus some further ruminations on our city’s development.
As we count down to the opening, just a matter of weeks now, it is really interesting to go back over how the project was fought for and finally approved. This seems especially relevant to debates around possible future projects, and tensions between central and local government about how how our one city of scale could or should develop: big questions around funding and control. Plus of course how to get difficult and important things done, and questions of leadership and legacy.
Auckland is already changed by this big shape-shifting project, not least of all in the creation of new people-focused places in the city centre. Now it remains to be seen how quickly people take to using it and whether it will live up to the promise as a transformative watershed moment in the wider city’s direction. Will it, and the development it supports, further change the very idea of Auckland, delivering concrete form to its unique role as the international face of our little nation?
Does this a city make?
Advocacy for the CRL has been at the very centre our whole project at Greater Auckland. Limitless hours of work has been dedicated to first trying to get it approved and eventually completed and operated as well as we hoped. So for us too this moment is especially critical. We have always claimed it will be as significant for our city, and indeed for the whole country, as the opening of the harbour bridge.
Is this, as we hope, a key engine for a better city: a more productive, more liveable, more equitable, even perhaps, more urbane, Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland?
Time will tell.
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As ever, if you enjoy our content and wider work, and are able to, please consider supporting us financially, especially as we are now a registered charity. Plus there’s also our new Merchandise store at the Link above for some fabulous urbane kit for the whole fam.
Thanks especially to Dallas Rabot of MARTIAN BUNKER for his generous shooting and production of the video, and of course to Len Brown, first for the CRL itself, and for giving his time for this interview.
Enjoy.
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Its so important that the trains, busses and bikeways become more popular. There are many events in Auckland at the art gallery, ASB theatre, Town Hall, Aotea theatre, Q theater, Spark theatre, the concert chamber, the coming St James theatre, the Civic, the coming Mercury theatre, the convention theatre, Sky city theatre. All these venues depend on good numbers of people attending. Auckland has a great reputation for its music, plays, and culture and the value to the city is large. People judge a city by its events and easy transport to the city will support further growth and our great reputation.
I think there is still huge potential to make our PT and active modes a much more integral part of our city wide events and activities. I was in the city on Saturday night to yet again see Peter Hook sling his bass low and had pretty seemless bus rides in and out from West Auckland. But compared to many other cities it still feels like using PT here is not promoted, encouraged or highlighted as an option.
Taking the bus is kind of terrible.
Inconsistent routes and services, waiting on the side of the road often with no seats or cover, getting stuck in the same traffic as people driving their cars, and if the bus is busy (which we want) it means loads of extra stops to let people on and off which means longer trip times.