The end has arrived...

With regards to my fellow groupmates: Jayesh, Simon, Steven and Sophie, I present to you our Te Hana resource video.

I am slightly going off-topic for my last post on this blog but I want to end on a high note. Last Friday was our group presentations for Studio. Each group presented to the Te Hana community our recommendations, priorities and resources. My group's resource was a video for Te Hana. This video above is a journey of Te Hana, exploring their history, struggles, achievements and what the future holds not just for their community but also for the Auckland region.


Te Hana is in a rural area and it doesn't really relate to the theme of my blog which is the urban environment. However, I want to put this video up to promote the community and to let people know what Te Hana has been through to get to where they are now. It may be in a rural area but I think Te Hana Te Ao Marama will have an effect on Auckland as a whole once it becomes recognised as a Maori cultural and tourism centre. Auckland does not have an authentic Maori cultural centre so Te Hana will give the region a comparative advantage.


Te Hana also relates to my last post of Auckland lacking 'heart'. As said in the post, Auckland has failed to recognise its people when it comes to planning. We have planned for cars and have turned our backs to the people. Te Hana's approach to community development was aimed at its people. As the Maori proverb goes:

"He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata! He tangata! He tangata"

"What is the most important thing in the world? It is people! It is people! It is people!"

Auckland's success lies upon its people. We should not take people for granted. We have the ability to change for the better. Together, we can shape our urban environment, rural areas, towns and communities. Collaboration is key so we can have a city that every Aucklander would be proud of.
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I give credit to my groupmates especially to Simon and Jayesh who have produced a wonderful video of Te Hana's journey.

Also, thank you to the people who have checked out my blog and for commenting on my posts. I truly appreciate it. Thanks to Dory, our lecturer who made this blog a requirement for the course. I have enjoyed blogging and I may continue this blog for planning issues in the future. This blog has inspired me and made me realise what I am interested in and passionate about.

So long for now and until we meet again...

Auckland's heart "transplant".

An interesting NZ Herald article this morning talked about the slow transformation of Auckland city. In the past, Auckland city has not been a desirable place to reside in. The article tackled the idea of Auckland city ignoring its people and lacking 'heart' that global cities have. Below are some good points as quoted from the article:

• Auckland's central city has always turned its back on the people.
• The prevailing notion over the past 50 years has been that Auckland's city centre is for cars, not people.
• The CBD is known better for its ugly architecture and a befuddled roading network than glorious sea promenades.
• "If you compare Auckland with Melbourne, Sydney, Vancouver, Paris, London, New York - what defines those cities is a great heart." - Ludo Campbell-Reid (Auckland Council's urban design manager).
• Auckland's heart, "is a little bit sick". - Ludo Campbell-Reid

I completely agree with the points above. Personally, I don't find the Auckland CBD a good place to live in and I only go there because of the University. I have explored the city countless times and it lacks that 'spark' that global cities have that not only attracts people but makes a lasting impression all over the world. Auckland's urban environment is not exactly something to be proud. However, it is getting better. I have explored in this blog the changes that have been happening over the past months. Slowly, Auckland City is developing a healthier "heart".

Mayor Len Brown's plan is to make Auckland the most liveable city. It might not happen as quickly as we want but I think we've started well. The mayor's multiple plans and vision seems too ambitious to most people but he has done well so far in campaigning his ideas.

Also written in the article are the transformations around the city over the past years. Queen St. was transformed by having wider footpaths, Aotea Square was revamped, the waterfront has various promising projects, Shared Spaces and Britomart. Britomart was deemed one of the biggest success stories for Auckland city with its line up of retail shops, award winning bars and restaurants. It has become a great place to hang out. This is what Auckland needs. We need better public spaces. Gone are the days when we plan for just cars. We should plan for the people. 

And what do people want? Better public open spaces that let people escape from their confined office/Uni spaces. We only have a few in the CBD and here are some examples:

Freyberg Place in High Street.
Photos taken by myself.

The Aotea Square in the afternoon.
Photos are taken by myself.

You can read the full article of Auckland, have heart in the NZ Herald website.

Exciting projects.

Did you know the various projects that are happening in Auckland's waterfront?

I have blogged about Silo Park before but there are also other exciting projects that will make the waterfront a much better place.

The Waterfront Auckland website has good descriptions and updates of what is currently being done and the future plans for the waterfront.

The most popular project is The Cloud or Party Central on Queen's Wharf. It is visible on the Viaduct now and it is slowly coming to life. The Cloud will be used for the upcoming RWC 2011 as an international media lounge and as a Tourism NZ i-site. At the moment, The Could is looking like an out-of-place slug-shaped structure on the Viaduct but I am still excited to see the finished development on this once industrial wasteland.

What Queen's wharf would look like with the revamp of Shed 10 and construction of The Cloud.
Photo Source: Waterfront Auckland.

The Viaduct Events Centre is at Halsey St. in the Viaduct Harbour. The Events Centre will host banquets, concerts, conferences, exhibitions, trade shows, weddings and other major events. It will be open by August 2011. Though it is not finished yet, bookings are already being accepted. There are more information available on their website.

The plan for the Viaduct Events Centre.
Photo source: Waterfront Auckland.

Close to the Viaduct Events Centre would be the new development of the North Wharf. Doesn't it look inviting?!

The North Wharf will be full of shops, restaurants, cafes that will cater to everyone's interests.
Photo source: EyeonAuckland.

Opposite the North Wharf will be Silo Park and Gateway Plaza. Gateway Plaza will be the redeveloped Tank Farm. It will be an amazing public open space that incorporates modern design. It will be unique to Auckland because the Plaza allows people to access the water via steps. See for yourself below:

The Plaza incorporates old shipping containers into the new open space.
Photos from Waterfront Auckland.

Last but not the least are Trams! Yes, there will be trams along the new waterfront developments (It will loop around Jellicoe St, Halsey St, Gaunt St and Daldy St.). The Heritage Trams will be operative during the RWC.

Construction is going on now in terms of installing the tramway lines. More photos on the EyeonAuckland website.
Photo source: Waterfront Auckland.

Whether you support the RWC and the implications that comes with it, you can't deny that the upcoming event has facilitated these ground breaking developments in Auckland's waterfront. Looking at these projects makes me think that Auckland's urban environment is definitely changing for the better.

There is a cool timeline of the Wynyard Quarter on the Waterfront Auckland website. Make sure you check it out!

Updates.

Yesterday, I have blogged about the video of the shared space launch. Today, I took photos of what is going on around the city and what changes has been done so far.

Elliot Street is still closed off and some parts are under construction. The road has been levelled out just like Darby St.
Photo taken by myself.

Fort Street coming along well with more trees than Darby St. but there are no benches yet.
Photos taken by myself.

What Darby St. looks like now. The space is both utilised by cars and mostly people. Every time I pass by this street, the benches are occupied by people which indicates that it is a good space to hang out.
Photo taken by myself.

(EyeonAuckland has captured great photos of this space and you can check it out here.)

The changes are great so far. I think that Darby St. could have more trees and variety though but the space has definitely improved. There are still work to be done in Fort St. but the trees are up and cars can go pass even with the barriers on the sides.

There are many exciting changes happening around Auckland's urban area. The shared spaces are one of them. I will blog next about the new waterfront developments that are really promising so stay tuned.

Darby Street.

Auckland Council has released a video of the Darby St. Shared Space launch that I went to in April. I have blogged about the launch and you can view it here. I walked around the CBD yesterday and I'm glad to see people using the Darby St. shared space. The benches were occupied by groups of people who were casually hanging out and talking. Fort St. is almost finished and progress is happening in Elliot St. too. This is a good start for Auckland's urban environment.

Now, here is the video of the Shared Space:

From the video, you can see how much people attended the launch and how people welcomed Auckland's first shared space.

I am in this video and you can see me in 2:35.