Reflections on Auckland
I just returned from an excellent time at the Urbanism New Zealand conference in Auckland. As well as enjoying plenty of interesting conversations, I also had some time to explore the city centre and waterfront. Here are a few observations and images…
Auckland, like Sydney or my home city of Cork, is built around a large and busy harbour. It is a place of coastlines, headlands, and islands. Its geography is hard to grasp as a first-time visitor. The city centre is dominated by long, steep hills, remnants of lava channels from dormant volcanos. The constancy of the water grounds the city, and all things seem to lead there.
The Wynyard Quarter waterfront redevelopment is excellent. It’s an outstanding reactivation, turning a post-industrial dead zone into a family-friendly public realm with thriving day and night-time economies. It was busy every time I was there, with plenty of locals and tourists enjoying themselves. Large cruise ships now regularly arrive, decanting wealthy tourists into the designer shops at the end of Queen Street, the city’s main shopping street.
The enhancements along Quay Street, incorporating segregated walking and cycle lanes, as well as raingardens and generous greenery, are excellent and really uplift the public realm. I would say the 2022 Award for Excellence in Civic and Urban Design from the New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects is very well deserved.
The raingardens along Quay Street proved their value as soak-aways during the severe flooding in early-2023, protecting nearby buildings and businesses. If more proof were needed of the multiple benefits of green infrastructure in cities, this is an outstanding example.
There is much work yet to be done to improve the pedestrian experience. Pavements in poor condition were common, creating extra challenges for people with disabilities, parents with prams and anyone who has limited personal mobility. Many inner urban streets felt like arterial roads, with multiple lanes of traffic given absolute priority. Crosswalks were infrequent difficult to locate from a distance. At times jaywalking seems like the only viable option.
Surveillance: there are cameras everywhere. Rare to see a single camera, much more common to see clusters of them. Hard to know what exactly they are designed to achieve, who and what they are watching and where the oceans of data end up. No doubt policymakers will offer many justifications for their presence. Personally, I thought it was way over the top and felt the uneasy feeling of being constantly watched while outside.
The Urban Room exhibition in its temporary home at 188 Quay Street, with models of Auckland in the 1930s and an idealised 1960s version, is well worth a visit. The original topographic model of Auckland from the 1800s is also on display. The exhibition is the passion project of local urban designer, Ben van Bruggen. It is not a permanent exhibition and may not be open for more than another few months, so if you’re in Auckland, don’t delay in going to see it. If you want to volunteer to help for a few hours a week, contact Ben – there’s lots to help with.
Finally, I had the pleasure of coming across an old school record and CD shop in the historic Queens Arcade. If you’re of a similar vintage to me, you might remember actual record shops fondly. Happily, Marbecks Records are keeping the tradition alive and authentic. Narrow aisles, shelves heaving with vinyls, CDs and posters, this place is the real deal. It even smells like a proper record shop! An unexpected delight at the end of my time in Auckland.
