Should Auckland demolish Spaghetti Junction?
This post by Nicolas Reid was originally published on Linked in. It is republished here with permission. In this article, I make a not-entirely-serious case for ripping out Spaghetti Junction in Auckland, replacing it with a motorway tunnel, and redeveloping new city streets and neighbourhoods above it instead.…
54 Comments Lunar New Year and the Future of Placemaking
This is a guest post by placemaker Paris Kirby.
Featured Image: Neon Lucky Cat on Darby Street, city centre. Created and built by Aan Chu and Angus Muir Design (Photo credit: Bryan Lowe) Disclaimer: I am a Senior Placemaking and Activation Specialist at Auckland Council; however, the views expressed in this article are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of Auckland Council.…
Most people want a people-friendly city
With many of Auckland’s political and bureaucratic leaders bowing down to vocal minorities and consistently failing to reallocate space to people in our city, recent news overseas has prompted me to point out something important.
It is extremely popular to make car-dominated cities nicer, by freeing up space for people.…
Mercury Lane, and Auckland Transport’s habitual failure
When the City Rail Link opens (circa 2026), all signs point to it immediately being a huge success. It will be transformational for Auckland, with ripple effects across the city.
Thousands of people an hour will pour in and out of the new and upgraded stations.…
Guide: Actions you can take on the speed limit increases
The government is moving into the implementation phase of its disastrous decision to reverse speed limit reductions across the country, in most cases regardless of whether communities want to do so.
In Auckland, it’s a Kafkaesque nightmare, with perverse outcomes all over the map.…
Auckland, what is it good for?
Patrick Reynolds is deputy chair of the City Centre Advisory Panel
…and what can we do to increase its success?
Here at Greater Auckland it is axiomatic that cities are, or at least can and should be, forces for good for their inhabitants and host nations.…
Te Hā Noa 101: Victoria Street explained
Recently, Auckland’s Mayor Wayne Brown expressed bewilderment in a social media post about the current changes to Victoria Street in the city centre.
“Welcome to Cone Central,” he says, adopting the universally recognised arms-wide position of exasperation, and gesturing around him at the works under way.…
Live Q&A event with CityNerd and Greater Auckland Thursday 27th February
Greater Auckland is excited to announce we are holding an event at 5pm on Thursday 27th February at the Ellen Melville Centre with Ray Delahanty, also known as CityNerd. Paid subscribers ($15) of the Substack will have access to free tickets, or tickets are available for purchase here at $20.…
Book review: ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin Ashton
This is a guest post by George Weeks, reviewing a book called ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin Ashton Book review: ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin Ashton (2015) – and what it means for Auckland.
The title of this article might unnerve any Greater Auckland connoisseur.…
Public Transport Ridership in 2024 – Part 1
How did public transport ridership perform in 2024, where has the post-COVID recovery been the strongest and weakest, and how does Auckland compare to other cities? Those and more are questions that I’ll answer over a few posts.
In this first post, I’m taking a look at the high-level numbers.…
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