Urban design framework

Designing great places for our people

Foreword

He Whakatauki

E kore e taea e te whenu kotahi
ki te raranga i te whariki
kia mohio tatou kia tatou.
Ma te mahi tahi o nga whenu,
ma te mahi tahi o nga kairaranga,
ka oti tenei whariki.
I te otinga
me titiro tatou ki nga mea pai ka puta mai.
A tana wa,
me titiro hoki
ki nga raranga i makere
na te mea, he korero ano kei reira.

A proverb

The tapestry of our sustenance and wellbeing
cannot be woven
by one strand alone.
Only by the working together of strands
and the working together of us all,
will such a tapestry be completed.
With its completion,
let us look at the good that comes from it
and in time
we should also look
at those stitches which have been dropped,
because they also have a message.

Kukupa Tirikatene

Foreword

Places that we enjoy or admire tend to have common characteristics. More often than not, they are intuitive, safe, accessible and attractive, well thought out and well planned. Urban design, therefore, is not simply a matter of taste or style; it should be based on these objective, time-honoured principles of place making.

Successful cities around the world have also recognised that good urban design makes good business sense. Evidence is clear; well-designed and well-maintained buildings and places are more attractive to investors and visitors, and are safer and more cost-effective when long-term costs are taken into account. Hospitals that are well designed help patients recover their spirits more quickly, offices that are well designed have a happier and more productive workforce, schools that are well designed have lower levels of truancy, and better designed cities, streets and open spaces encourage more physical activity and facilitate social cohesion.

In response to public demand, Auckland City Council has embarked on a bold journey to transform the shape, form, function and feel of our city through a commitment to high-quality urban design.

Its strategy is simple - our urban design approach puts people first.

As William Shakespeare remarked, "What is a city but its people?"

The council's citywide Urban Design Framework will be the platform upon which we build a great, sustainable and design-led city.

It is comprised of four strands:

it will eradicate outdated policies, plans and processes
it will champion high-quality urban design outcomes and lead by example in terms of resources, expertise and built outcomes
it will raise awareness of urban design issues affecting the city through public forums for debate
it will recognise, celebrate and reward urban design excellence.

Now is the time to move ahead - to celebrate the start of Auckland's design-led urban renaissance.

Determined investment in the urban design of today will be the heritage of the future.

Councillor Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga
Chairperson of the City Development Committee
Auckland City Council
December 2007

Urban design goals for the city

This framework sets out how urban design will contribute towards achieving Auckland City Council's vision of Auckland as First City of the Pacific. From an urban design perspective, developing Auckland into a more exciting, equitable, prosperous and sustainable place in which to live, do business and relax requires:

'Te Waharoa O Aotea',
Aotea Square. Artist:
Selwyn Muru

Distinctive
a more distinctive city which reflects its tangata whenua, Maori, Pacific and multicultural identity and is visibly recognised as a city of the South Pacific

Compact
a more compact city containing high-quality, compact, walkable, mixed-use environments that help reduce the need to travel long distances for everyday tasks

Connected
a more connected city where people have a choice of transport options that are comfortable, convenient, efficient and affordable

Sustainable
a more sustainable city where land use, the natural environment and the built form lead the way to a more sustainable city

Compact apartments
- photo courtesy of Matt
Riley

Beautiful
a more beautiful city where the design of our buildings and spaces (including ordinary, everyday spaces) contribute to creating beautiful places that are worthy of the truly unique and stunning city that is Auckland

Human
a more human city where our built environment is much more respectful of people and how we experience the city - giving people more priority over cars.

Urban design index

Published January 2008