Thinking. Density done well. Haylea Muir.
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Thinking. Density done well. Haylea Muir. 11 June 2021 More homes are needed in all corners of Aotearoa. Isthmus Principal Haylea Muir argues that housing density is something that we need to embrace even in our smaller towns and cities and offers 10 tips on how to embrace this change.
Density done well. Hobsonville Point
A medium-density suburb designed
with the infrastructure necessary
10 tips for Aotearoa.
to generate socially successful and
sustainable communities.
These days ‘embracing density’ is a It’s only scary because it’s new. It’s not so expensive when you look It doesn’t have to involve really tall The trick to all this of course is All going well, the RMA reform should
relatively easy thing to say up here in Even though research says it’s good at the whole picture. buildings and lots of hard surfaces. those three words: when done well. help encourage density rather than
Auckland; at the top of the NPS-UD for us, we’re just not used to living so And money isn’t the only thing Density and overcrowding are not In many of our smaller centres, the sprawl. Shifting the planning focus
2020’s Tier 1 table, increased housing close to our neighbours in Aotearoa. we need to worry about depleting the same thing. Increased density district plan isn’t geared to hold a toward positive outcomes is surely
density is slowly but surely becoming Our parents might have lived the through our patterns of development. can be green! It can be low rise, and high enough bar for this type of an improvement on mitigating and
a way of life in Tāmaki Makaurau. quarter acre dream, but we are Our pricing models let us down it can be friendly. It can be safe, it can development. Council officers don’t avoiding bad ones. Statutory spatial
But Auckland is not the only city facing entirely different personal and because they don’t measure or feel familiar, and you can still have have the experience, resource, plans—which district plans will have
facing large population increases; collective challenges. Our lifestyles account for future value. Acting now privacy. or mechanisms through which to to then comply with—have the
densification is not something our and household make ups are vastly avoids costs later. I’m not suggesting there should educate their local designers and potential to lock in smart land use
smaller cities and regional centres different to the generations before us, In more compact communities only be medium or high-density developers (if it’s even their job to) decisions for the foreseeable future.
have much experience in yet. Density so why would the majority of us living residents can save money through development. Low density living suits or push back against applicants The recent Infrastructure Funding
can be scary, seems expensive and is in that type of environment still work? reduced house prices, cheaper a lot of people and isn’t necessarily proposing development that would and Financing (IFF) Act sets up a
often misunderstood. The health and wellbeing stats alone transport costs, lower energy bills bad! It just gets bad when that’s all most certainly lead to poor outcomes new model which can help skirt,
will tell you it doesn’t. and more. While there’s a significant there is, and all there continues to be. for the future residents. for otherwise viable projects, the
cost outlay for infrastructure up When done well, higher densities In some places there’s easy, open potential roadblock created by the
front, the city could ultimately make can unlock improved health and land out on the edge that’s likely to lack of debt capacity a local authority
money through more ratepayers in a wellbeing (yes, even in a pandemic), see diggers before the city centre has. These are frameworks and
consolidated area. Plus, there can be improved wealth (for both gets the attention it needs, and many mechanisms that set the stage for
prosperous business supported by households and the city itself) and don’t have the funds to pay for the success. So what can our smaller
critical mass of population. improved environmental outcomes. high-quality public amenity that towns and cities do to make sure the
Density, especially in a mixed-use higher density living needs for it to be right things walk out on that stage?
context can be more socially successful.
equitable. Stranding low-income
families in sprawling suburbia can so
easily result in a variety of poor social
outcomes with expensive knock-on
effects to society.
Compact development means
that land can be retained for food
production thus lowering the cost
of what ends up on our plates. The
Climate Change Commission’s Draft
Advice to Government even cites
compact urban form as an important
component of our overall efforts.
Failing to slow global warming will be
a lot more expensive than compact
urban development.
2. Density done well. Density done well. 3.
Haylea Muir. Haylea Muir.
11 June 2021. 11 June 2021.
Density done well.
10 tips for Aotearoa.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Have, and hold onto, a vision. Make sure people get it. Be place-based about it. Take a multi-pronged approach. Get creative with house typologies. Double down: active modes and
It’s a tough road into what will likely Density cannot remain Everything must be in context. What Do some (strategic and efficient) It doesn’t have to be apartments! mixed use.
feel like unchartered territory; know misunderstood and too scary to try is right and where it is right will vary greenfield development in parallel Maybe work-live units, a small home Making sure everything a person
where you’re going and why, and or support. Help people view it with throughout our motu, just as our with regeneration and intensification village, courtyard terraces or urban needs to live well is close to their
constantly remind yourself. curiosity and openness rather than lifestyles and landscapes do. An of existing neighbourhoods. Put more papakainga are more appropriate. We home and associating density with
The vision needs to have people suspicion. High quality, highly liveable urban design textbook approach is thought and momentum into town can still minimise our urban footprint irresistibly safe and enjoyable ped
and planet at its core, out live compact urban living should be a not going to nail it. and suburban centres (a residential and achieve good outcomes for and cycle networks will serve you well
political cycles, stand strong against common goal, it’s for a common good. population will be critical to their people and planet without relying in the environmental, liveability and
economic pressures, and allow This can be achieved in a couple of vitality and viability going forward. In entirely on a vertical build. popularity stakes.
innovation and adaptation in the ways: a post-COVID, carbon-reducing world
delivery of its intent and principles. — Active education this cannot be ignored).
Important for the team involved
with facilitation, design and
delivery. There are Councils,
consultants and communities
in NZ that have been on this
journey already. Drain them of Roskill South
Using the land more efficiently.
their knowledge. Visit their sites Kāinga Ora’s regeneration of Roskill
and understand their wins and South is replacing approximately
260 old state with up to 920 new,
losses. warm, dry, healthy homes.
— Buy in over time
Important for the community.
Positive messaging alongside
meaningful community
engagement and collaboration
in the design and development
process. “Nudging” toward higher
densities: start with small sites,
stage development to build
up to the big stuff. Unrelenting
vigilance against bad versions
which will set bad precedents.
4. Density done well. Density done well. 5.
Haylea Muir. Haylea Muir.
11 June 2021. 11 June 2021.Density done well.
10 tips for Aotearoa.
7. 8. 9. 10.
Develop for diversity. Be future focused and lay the Shop local. Good design. Other things that help:
The best, most resilient groundwork early. Our team of 5 million includes smart, We could do 1–9 and still mess it up if — Policies and rules that help fix the
neighbourhoods include homes Build for increase now. Invest with experienced people working in this we don’t design things well. Insist on crucial frames but allow flex for
for everyone from babies to the intent. It may not quite be time to add space. Don’t be too proud about good design at all scales. the market.
elderly. The days of homogenous the number of homes predicted to staying too tightly local, but also don’t — Design Guidelines that show the
subdivisions are over. be needed but any infrastructure or feel like you need overseas experts to standard you expect and create
planning decisions being made in the solve problems. comfort around investment by
meantime should facilitate them. holding everyone to the same bar.
— Treating amenity as base
infrastructure.
— Thinking of the streetscape as
more than the road reserve.
— Building the right team, extracting
value from designers experienced
in kiwi urbanism.
— Involving the people that use it
and live there, they will tell you if
they need it to be better.
Hobsonville Point pioneered a new
wave of medium density housing
in Auckland with a set of design
controls that balance density
with liveability. Streets and green
spaces are designed to support the
community.
6. Density done well. Density done well. 7.
Haylea Muir. Haylea Muir.
11 June 2021. 11 June 2021.Land. People. Culture. Isthmus.
You can also read
