An interesting article in the Central Leader local newspaper outlines some quite ingenious initiatives to help mitigate the adverse effects of the Waterview Connection project on its local community:
Bridging the divide
An upcoming competition could help reduce the impact of State Highway 20 on Waterview and surrounding communities.
Mt Albert MP David Shearer has organised 30 masters level architecture students from Unitec and Auckland University to take part in an intensive three-day workshop from Friday that will look at how to minimise the effects of the new motorway.
A panel of judges, including Mr Shearer, architectural experts and Central Leader editor Katherine Forbes, will determine the winning design.
Mr Shearer says it is important efforts are made to look after the local community, who have to live with the effects of the motorway.
“I see it as something really exciting that’s going to engage the best organisations that do design,” he says.
“Hopefully it will stimulate some real thinking about what’s possible.”
Issues include what sort of mitigation is offered with the loss of green space and whether Waterview residents can be provided with better access to Great North Rd and Unitec.
Auckland University architecture lecturer and Waterview resident Bill McKay says the ideas will be presented to the New Zealand Transport Agency and the Auckland City Council for consideration.
He says the agency has come up with some ideas for mitigation, but hopes the designs will provide more innovation after consulting the community.
Generally I must say that the mitigation for this motorway project does appear to be a step above anything that I’ve seen before. And this is only right, as surely the Waterview Connection is the last ever new motorway that we will build in Auckland through a residential area where there has been no protected corridor.
I like the idea of involving architecture students in coming up with ideas about how the impact of this project can be reduced. While a lot of work has gone into landscaping around the SH20/SH16 interchange – for example – there are still some significant gaps in terms of mitigation in other areas – particularly around Allan Wood Reserve, which as much as NZTA like to deny the facts through technicalities, is a park that gets turned into a motorway.
I look forward to hearing about what they come up with.
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I hope the mitigation is awesome, I actually think the NZTA is so keen to please they might adopt some of the plans…
Shearer has been a great MP for Mt Albert after Clark was so busy being leader he has more time to focus on the constituents…
Gt Nth Rd through Waterview is a de facto motorway at present, in my opinion if they are going to destroy the park in Waterview with the tunnel and leave Gt North Rd as is then we’ll be ending up with two motorways. Serious work is needed to calm Gt North Rd’s traffic along with increased pedestrian crossing opportunities, all the planting in the world won’t help Waterview otherwise.
I must say, it puts me at ease knowing that a local newspaper editor is on the judging panel of an environmental design competition… 😉
@Nathan – I’d say it’s a pretty clever way of getting a reasonable amount of publicity in the paper. I wouldn’t be surprised if the NZ Herald takes no notice of this at all…
Dear All
In an intensive weekend design workshop, the University of Auckland and Unitec architecture students examined the NZTA’s State Highway 20 Waterview Connection project and its plans for mitigation.
The motorway will have a huge impact on the Waterview community. But the students, together with members of the community, have put their heads together to come up with some creative and innovative ideas of their own to get the best outcome for the residents affected.
Early indications are impressive and will give the NZTA imaginative and concrete initiatives to (hopefully) incorporate into their plans.
This Friday 23 April, 6pm – 7.30pm, Exhibition Space, Building 1, Gate 1, Unitec, Carrington Road, Pt Chevalier there will be a formal prizegiving and an opportunity to see the students’ mitigation and urban design projects for the first time.
Thanks
rtc – Will anyone from NZTA be there? Tommy Parker for example is pretty open to suggestions, but even he can’t always convince his masters of further changes being needed.