Plans, policies and reports
Mayoral task force on urban design
The urban design task force was appointed by the mayor in response to growing
public anxiety at what Aucklanders see springing up in the central city and
their neighbourhoods. Members - who
represented key influencers in the development industry -
called for major change to the way the city manages urban design.
The task force appealed for a "Just say No!" approach to bad design.
It urged Auckland City Council and the wider development community to work together
to turn Auckland into an attractive and well-functioning world-class city.
The report Designing Auckland: A springboard for action asked for a
"design-led transformation" of a city that has stunning aspects but
has been marred by many wasted opportunities.
A copy of the report is available in Portable Document File
(PDF) format.
If you do not already have the free Acrobat Reader software you will need to download it from the
Adobe website before you can view
the report.
Designing Auckland: A springboard for action
(583kb) 
The report identified "essential measures for immediate impact and
actions to sustain change" under the headings:
- create memorable places and spaces
- only the best will do - tilt the
playing field toward good development
- be bold - say "No!" to bad
design
- be clear about the big picture
- bring in champions to accelerate change
- rebuild a "can-do" design-led council organisation
- fast track changes to outmoded rules and processes.
The task force report was reviewed by the Urban Strategy and Governance
Committee of Auckland City Council and council approved a targeted rate to cover
costs of promoting urban design and heritage protection.
Over a 12 month period, council has increased its own urban design team to
eleven members and appointed an urban design champion with an international
reputation, Ludo Campbell-Reid, urban design group manager.
A new report The Value of Urban Design provides compelling evidence
for the benefits of well-designed buildings and open spaces in creating
successful towns and cities. Read the report on the Ministry for the Environment
website at www.mfe.govt.nz.
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