Chewing ears: Babies on Public Transport
This is my last post for Greater Auckland. After several years, I think the time has come for me to stop chewing ears.
If I recall correctly, I was originally involved circa 2010-11 when the founder, Joshua Arbury, asked me to help write a few guest posts at a time when he was otherwise occupied.…
26 Comments Blurred lines: The dangers of “elite projection”
In this Sunday reading post, Kent mentioned a recent debate between Jarrett Walker (Disclosure: Jarrett is a friend of mine) and Elon Musk (Disclosure: Elon is not a friend of mine, but is famous for his role inventing PayPal and Tesla).…
Auckland’s rail patronage: Past, present, and (uncertain) future.
As we start a new year, I thought it was a good time to review the past, present, and future of rail patronage in Auckland. Before diving into the data, I want to relay two relevant personal anecdotes.
First, my interest in Auckland’s rail patronage began in the early 2000s, when — as a mildly bored and nerdy young person growing up in rural south Auckland — I would download and analyse the latest monthly rail patronage statistics.…
Defining the “average” Aucklander.
In this post, I want to talk (somewhat informally) about how we define the “average Aucklander”, before relating this discussion to the people who contribute material for the Blog. I finish with a plea for help.
I’ve been pondering these issues for sometime, due to Peter’s excellent post about submissions on Auckland’s Unitary Plan as well as Emma’s compelling call for greater involvement from women in urbanism.…
Lend me some sugar — Thoughts on PT fares #1
Welcome back! I hope you all had a “perfectly unhappy” summer break; here’s our adoring foster dog Kuri getting into the spirit. I’m pleased to say that — as of 9 January — Kuri was successfully adopted into a loving new family.…
Biting the Breast that Feeds Us
I was saddened to read some recent news articles (here and here) that described a young mother in Auckland being kicked off the bus for breastfeeding her child. My heart goes out to this woman and her child.
As someone who will soon be a parent myself, I was saddened to find this is still a problem for two reasons.…
Cities and music: Telling tales?
“In art, depictions of urban landscapes are common since antiquity, and one is constantly reminded of city life. But the city is not only made up of physical building, streets, and squares. It also carries its own history in the form of memories and stories.…
Options for Regional and Metro heavy rail services in Auckland
Greetings from France! Before getting into the detail, I thought I’d lull you into a sense of calm by sharing a photo from one of the little villages (Saint Beat) we recently visited. P.s. The Pyrenees are stunning. I started writing this post while sitting on the TGV from Toulouse to Paris, which takes circa 4.5 hours via a new section of track between Bordeaux and Paris that opened approximately 2 months ago.…
How transport policy affects location choice
When we talk about transport, it’s natural for our minds to focus on moving people from A to B. That is, we tend to think about how to meet the demand for travel between locations, assuming that the demand for being in those locations is unaffected by the transport policies that we implement.…
We need to talk about Brisbane, and other strategic policy matters
Why not Auckland?
I grew up in Auckland. I love Auckland. My partner and I would like to live in Auckland. As it stands, I can’t see it happening for the foreseeable future. I’m sure some of you are rather relieved, but it makes me sad.…
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