Sunday reading 13 March 2016
And now for something completely different.
One of the best things I’ve read recently was Australian economist John Quiggin’s discussion of “peak paper”, which the world apparently reached in 2013. It’s an optimistic story: showing how the slow accumulation of efficiencies can result in a more sustainable economy.…
35 Comments The linear city and other science fictions
Last week, urban designer lecturers Dushko Bogunovich and Matthew Bradbury published an article on their vision for transforming Auckland into a “linear city”:
Instead, we suggest a linear, city-region that follows the opportunities and respects the constraints in the landscape. Its central spine would connect many nodes of density, functioning as centres of commerce and production, with high-rise living.…
The consultation problem: Who submits on the plan? [Repost]
In light of the recent debate over whether the Unitary Plan hearings process is sufficiently democratic, this is an appropriate time to revisit a post I wrote last year on the demographics of consultation feedback. Essentially, local governments don’t hear from all their citizens equally – submissions are weighted towards older, whiter, and probably wealthier people.…
“A slow-motion earthquake”
We didn’t cover it much at the time, but one of the most significant events of last year was the Paris Outcome that world leaders agreed at climate talks in December. It’s a big deal. For the first time, every country on earth agreed that it was a necessity to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius.…
Sunday reading 28 February 2016
Welcome back to Sunday reading. This week, let’s start with a new research paper on complexity. Oxford University researchers ask, “are big-city transportation systems too complex for human minds?”
Many of us know the feeling of standing in front of a subway map in a strange city, baffled by the multi-coloured web staring back at us and seemingly unable to plot a route from point A to point B.…
A brief explanation of what just happened with the Unitary Plan
Over the past week Transportblog has published several posts on the brouhaha (or is that kerfuffle?) about Auckland Council’s position on Unitary Plan rezoning.
However, we haven’t really taken a higher-altitude view on the issue. So here’s a quick summary.
The underlying issue is that Auckland’s home prices are really, really high, and rising rapidly.…
Tauranga: Sunshine, sprawl, and high house prices
Back in 2014 I wrote a short paper exploring how population density had evolved in New Zealand and Australian cities. Among other things, the paper provided a rough estimate of the degree to which various cities were going “up” or “out” – i.e.…
Sunday reading 14 February 2016
Welcome back to Country Calendar Sunday Reading. Today I thought it would be nice to lead off with a mesmerising video of sheep herding in New Zealand. It’s not very urban, but it does nicely illustrate bottleneck queuing, which is a common phenomenon on urban roads and busy pedestrian streets.…
Transport externalities in Auckland
Transport networks are awash in spillovers, or externalities. When you travel, your choices don’t just affect you – they also have an impact on others around you. When you drive a car, you might be putting others at increased risk of a crash, reducing air quality on the street, or delaying other people in cars or buses.…
Agglomeration, trade, and the prospects for Christchurch
This article was originally posted on Making Christchurch, a group blog set up by Barnaby Bennett in the wake of the 2011 Canterbury Earthquake, at the invitation of Transportblog commenter Brendon Harre. While it’s focused on Christchurch, many of the ideas in the article apply everywhere.…
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