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.

Shared Space Launch.

Image from Auckland Council's Facebook page.

Today, Auckland's first ever shared space was launched. Darby Street in Auckland City is the first shared space to be completed this year. I already blogged about other shared spaces being constructed around the city (Fort St. and Elliot St. The latter is currently under construction and completion will be around early 2012).

The event was well-received by many. It started at noon by the band Jimmy and the Goodbrew followed by Kidz in Space, a speech by Mayor Len Brown and finally Kingston. The bands attracted many people but there was also a photo/video kiosk, prize draw and free Mr. Whippy ice creams and Coke.

I personally enjoyed the launch. The bands performed well. Kidz in Space was the main attraction of the event and their performance was liked by many. People were dancing and many passers-by actually stayed for a few songs.

As for the shared space itself, I like it. It is definitely better than what it used to be. I think it's a good idea to have spaces like these around Auckland but the event today made me think that Darby St could have easily been a full pedestrian space and not a shared space (since it was closed off to cars due to the event). Shared space or not, it is still an improvement. 

Here are photos that I took during the event:

Different figures with descriptions to give people an idea of what shared spaces are.

The people enjoying the space. The guy on the left is maybe enjoying it a bit too much...

Kidz in Space performing.

The pleased crowd.

Mayor Len Brown officially launching the shared space.
Yes, that is Christopher Dempsey behind him (our last year's lecturer and now member of the Waitemata local board)

The launch was a good way to spend a Friday afternoon as told by the person sitting beside me. I asked a few people what they thought of the new look of Darby Street and they all seem to like it and hope other streets in Auckland will follow too. Len Brown also said in his short speech that there has been talks about Queen St. being turned into a full pedestrian mall. I really hope it happens one day.

I'll leave you with a short video of Kidz in Space performing and the crowd loving it and the speech of Len Brown thanking the people who made Darby St a shared space possible:

The little kid is cute and she danced in every song they played!

Sorry for the shaky video. My hand was getting tired holding my camera up.

You can see Chris in this video too as a member of Waitemata local board.

*All photos and videos are taken by myself.

Shared Spaces.

If you walk around the CBD, you will notice road works in some parts of the city. This is because of the Council's project Pedestrians in Space. Here are some photos that I took recently of what's going on around Auckland city.

Construction in Fort Street

Darby street almost finished

The project involves upgrading streets in the CBD to make it more pedestrian friendly. Darby street is close to completion while there are sill on going works in Fort St, Elliot St and Lorne St (outside the Auckland library). The outcome is for pedestrians to have the right of way allowing them to move easily and without the fear of speeding cars passing by. There will be more space for outdoor activities and events as well as for people to gather. Its aim is to provide attractive destinations for people to visit, spend time in and shop.

The projected outcome of the streets is shown by these images:

Elliot street
Photo from: Auckland Council

Darby street when completed
Photo from: Auckland Council

from Auckland Council

I think introducing shared spaces in Auckland is a really good idea. It will make the streetscape visually pleasing therefore will attract more people. I know I will be more comfortable walking in a shared space like Darby St. than what it used to be like (full of cars/trucks parked on the side of the road). It will make my trip to the different shops around enjoyable. I can't wait to see the improvements when all the upgrades are done!