What will it look like?

There is little on the Tamaki Transformation Programme (TTP) website that gives residents a visual picture of what the changes in the area may look like.

Action point: The TTP website needs to provide more background information to residents on what some of these proposed changes may mean.

However, it’s possible to track back from the TTP Heads of Agreement to find that the Auckland Plan is part of the TTP's completed consultation. The following studies were completed as part of the Auckland Plan programme of work.

The first image comes from a Studio D4, Jasmax and Auckland Council study (HT Auckland Transport Blog). It shows the Tamaki area as viewed from the Tamaki River.



What density in Tamaki might look like

The yellowish dots represent new residential units, while the orange dots seem to represent multi-level developments. In the background you can see the proposed Camp Bunn development which includes a revamped Tamaki train station.

The next set of images come from a more detailed study that was commissioned as an input into the recently completed Auckland Plan. The study is called 'A New Kind of Compact: Design-led_' and comes in three volumes (1, 2, 3). The Tamaki component is at the end of 2 and beginning of 3.

The report says  it is only a hypothetical study of what density may look like. However, it should also be noted again that the TTP Heads of Agreement refers to the Auckland Plan as consultation.

In the Tamaki study area it's planned that the population will more than double. The existing 10,000 residents will be joined by 12,000 more residents and 4,000 more dwellings.

Action point: Council needs to clarify what status these studies have

Concept plan for Tamaki



In between Torino and Taratoa Streets

What I like

I like the reopening of the Tamaki station, and also the way that the Boundary Reserve project creates linkages between residents of Pt England and the station. This will be an important step in encouraging mode-switch from cars to public transport.

I also think it makes sense to plan developments in this area with Stonefields in mind. Any development in the Camp Bunn site will require residents from both east and west of the tracks to make it worthwhile. I think it’s also logical to give the Stonefields residents easier access to the Tamaki waterfront via the improved 'Boundary Corridor'.

The Camp Bunn development seems logical and may be a positive addition to the area if it is done well. By 'well' I mean better then any such development completed in NZ. To get some real inspiration the owners of the site should visit Tokyo Midtown.

What I don’t like

I’m not opposed to density per se, but some aspects of this plan are a little shocking.

A lot of the area in the study is in a volcanic viewshaft zone, so tall buildings would be precluded under current planning rules...

I don’t think that there needs to be wholesale destruction of the houses along Torino and Oran. Most of these houses are actually in very good condition. Certainly, some have cosmetic issues but this is mostly the result of landlord-neglect (with Housing NZ being the largest landlord in the area). There would be a lot of social dislocation if people were forced out.

It’s also important to have ‘eyes on the street' in a park area for safety. I think some park entrances could be created along one or two points, and existing houses could be re-sited to allow for some increased densities.

I also don’t see a need to revise the street layout. The plan above propses that cul de sacs will be turned into through-streets and new streets will be created e.g. close to Ruapotaka Primary School and Hinaki St.

Firstly, this would be heinously expensive to achieve. About half the houses in the area are privately owned, so compensation and/or invoking the Public Works Act would be required.
It also doesn’t suit the current topography e.g. there is a small valley between Tuakana and Tripoli that would require bridging. This permeable streets philosophy is currently voguish amongst planners. However, most people who live in cul de sacs actively choose to do so. Neighbours get to know each other and kids can play in the street. It’s the kiwi dream. Also, if only some aspects of the master plan are put in place (something that happens quite regularly with government masterplans), then we will just be encouraging more car use through the new streets. Connectivity can be encouraged by improving the linkages that already exist between the end of cul de sacs and adjoining reserves (the linkage pathway being a common feature of most cul de sacs in Tamaki).

Further afield, I’d like to see the planners make some calls that existing greenspace in the area will not be reduced. I’m especially worried about the grazing land in the Pt. England domain that would be extremely attractive to developers.

Action point: To gain trust with existing residents the TTP needs to be clear that existing greenspace and streetplans will not be changed or sold to developers.

First Principles

The Tamaki Transformation Programme (TTP) is expected to last 20 years. Although no specific budget information has been released, I will assume that via rates and taxes, local and central government will spend/invest up to $1.9 billion in the area. The private sector will likely invest up to the same amount.

Now is a good time to establish the first principles of the project. The principles are goals of the project and will also describe how the project will be done.

The principles below are a work in progress but they summarise for me some of the main issues that I think we should be focussing on. Let me know your thoughts on them. The numbers of the principles are to assist in feedback and aren’t an indication of importance.

1.       Carbon neutrality

Government has an expectation that NZ businesses and industries will work towards being carbon neutral. There is a real financial consequence of not achieving this. I think it’s fair to expect that the TTP will also aim to be carbon neutral and will be assessed against this criterion.

This will mean that building materials should be reused or existing buildings refurbished rather than being demolished. Active transport should be encouraged and green building technologies used where possible.

2.       Garden Suburb

The idea of creating a ‘garden suburb’ is more a vision than a first principle. It’s based on the original development name of the suburb of Tamaki: ‘Tamaki Heights Garden Suburb’. The suburb of Tamaki was developed in the 1920s as a garden-based oasis within a short train ride of the city. I think that this vision is still relevant today.

Encouraging the planting of fruit trees and vege gardens will also contribute towards the health of residents. Given the large plots and volcanic soil, 25% self-sufficiency in fruit and vegetables should be an easily achievable target.

3.       Biculturalism / Multiculturalism

For me, ‘biculturalism’ is a bit of a misnomer as it doesn’t mean there are only two cultures in NZ, it just recognises that one of the cultures in NZ has been here for a long time and has a special relationship with the land and sea. The ‘other’ culture used to only be European, but now includes dozens of cultures, especially from the Pacific and Asia.

Applied to Tamaki, this principle means that Maori have a special relationship with the place and this should be respected. Also, there are lots of other cultures that live in Tamaki, and all of their input in the TTP will be required to make sure that it goes well.

4.       Active transport

From Taniwha St to Hobson Dr, the area is very flat. There is also a generous network of parks and reserves through which walking and cycling tracks could be developed. I would like to see a hierarchy of modes of transport in the area:

i.                     Walking and cycling

ii.                   Public transport

iii.                  Driving

A lot of work will be required to create pathways through the parks and reserves as these have been largely abandoned by successive councils. Restarting the Tamaki Train Station will also enable walkers and cyclists who live too far away from Panmure and GI to leave their cars at home.

5.       The 20,000 existing residents will be made no worse-off

This sounds like a modest principle, but it is probably the most difficult to achieve and definitely the most important. Transforming Tamaki would be easy if the existing residents were not part of the equation. Capital works could be commissioned, Housing New Zealand could continue to sell down its portfolio and zoning changes would result in higher-density suburbs. However, rents and property values would rise and the existing residents would slowly be squeezed out to the West and South.

If this happens, they will be worse off. If existing renters of state houses are relocated into tenements, they will be worse off. If decades-old community networks are broken, they will be worse off.

I don’t know what the recipe is to both transform the area and also ensure that the people of the area remain and are able to enjoy the benefits. But if this doesn’t happen then the TTP will be a failure. And if residents sniff out that their well-being is not in the forefront of the planners’ minds then they will fight them every step of the way.

That’s enough principles for today. The sun is going down behind Mt. Wellington and my rabbit needs to be put back in her hutch.

I’d like to include Education and the Economy in the principles above, but I will write a separate post on them because of their importance.

Let me know your thoughts on these principles. Remember, it’s our rates and taxes that will fund this programme. They don’t call them public servants for nothing. Sometimes they just need to be reminded who they’re working for.

The 20,000

Government has announced that it is embarking on a 20-year transformation project of the Tamaki area, including the suburbs of Glen Innes, Point England, Tamaki and Panmure.

The project has the potential to dramatically improve the area, but only if the 20,000 people currently living in the area lead the process.

This blog is aimed at the 20,000 and others who care about Tamaki. I hope that it will foster debate about the project so that the area is transformed in the right way.

More posts to follow.