Leading the way in urban design with Auckland's first shared space street
11 November 2009
The final concept design for the upgrade of Elliott Street in Auckland's CBD has
been approved by two Auckland City Council committees, for what will become
Auckland's first shared space street.
Shared space is at the forefront of international urban design and aims to
combine rather than separate the functions of a street. Through specific design,
management and maintenance, streets that incorporate shared space improve the
environment for people, without needing to ban traffic.
The Elliott Street design sees paving across the full width of the street and
the removal of kerbing to allow pedestrians to move more easily into and through
the area. This also provides opportunities and space for outdoor dining and a
variety of other street activities, such as events.
Where shared space has been introduced overseas it has been shown to improve
pedestrian safety, calm traffic, attract more people, enhance business and
retail activity, and encourage diverse outdoor activity.
Cr Greg Moyle, chairperson of the Arts, Culture and Recreation Committee says,
"Auckland City Council is taking care of Auckland's future and working to
transform the city centre into a world-class, vibrant and dynamic business and
cultural centre."
"We are proud to be leading the way in urban design in New Zealand. It is vital
for our leading city to compete with other international cities by embracing
best practice urban design initiatives like shared space and provide an
environment which is more pedestrian friendly and more attractive," says Cr Ken
Baguley, chairperson of the Transport Committee.
Public consultation on the draft design for the upgrade of Elliott Street and
Darby Street ran in July with overall support for the design.
Feedback from consultation as well as specialist advisers resulted in a number
of changes and refinements to the final design. These include:
- additional tactile indicators to assist the visually impaired
- installing six bollards in specific locations to protect canopies from delivery
vehicles
- allowing general vehicles access to restricted loading bays (6am to 11am) Monday
to Saturday, to support local businesses
- introducing loading zones on nearby Wellesley Street to support local businesses
- rearranging the seating layout to provide more choice for users.
These changes have been incorporated into the final concept design which is
available for viewing online.
The upgrade will transform how we think about and use Elliott Street, making it
more attractive for people to shop, relax, dine and spend time in. When
complete, the upgrade will provide high quality paving, modern street furniture
and new outdoor public seating, vegetation and lighting.
A number of other streets in the CBD are proposing to incorporate shared space.
Watch Auckland City Council's shared space YouTube clip to get a taste of how it
will look and feel in Auckland.
The Elliott Street upgrade project is part of a 10-year programme to transform
CBD streets and open spaces. The cost of upgrading Elliott Street will be about
$7.2 million. Construction is scheduled to begin in June 2010 and be complete by
June 2011.
