In my time as a councillor I have seen planning approaches like Comprehensive Management Plans, Structure Plans, Master Plans - and now Spatial Plans - come and go in Auckland. Like planning fashions. And in each case Council officers and politicians have manipulated those techniques and planning methods so that nothing really changed, or so that dominant interests got what they wanted.
This is not really a surprise as Auckland’s local government has always been an arena for the contest of ideas and ideologies that seek to influence its decisions.
Spatial planning is the latest attraction for that contest and it seems that everyone wants one . The Hauraki Gulf Forum wants one. Devonport wants one. And the Government wants Auckland’s new supercity Council to have one too.
Superficially a spatial plan for Auckland sounds appropriate and good. A city spatial plan conjures up images of a big map with new road, state highway, sewer main, land subdivision, and school projects - each labelled with budgets and action plans for staged completion. Just what Auckland needs.
However proposed reforms for Auckland governance incorporate a spatial planning approach that are little more than a tool to build central government’s economic growth oriented infrastructure program into the heart of Auckland.
Government briefing papers confirm that the purpose of the spatial plan (which was closely linked with the National Infrastructure Plan) is to ensure that Auckland will be ready to receive infrastructure projects that have been centrally planned and funded.
“After reviewing international practices and considering the Royal Commission’s recommendation for a spatial plan, and the needs of central government in planning infrastructure investment”, writes the Minister of Environment in his Cabinet briefing paper, “I consider that a spatial plan, as part of the statutory planning framework for the Auckland Council, would enable growth and development, and support the achievement of broad objectives for the residents of the Auckland region and the wider nation.”
The Bill now being considered by Parliament provides for a more inclusive and consultative approach to the preparation of Auckland’s spatial plan than the first drafting, but the underlying purpose of the reform remains. That is for a nationally funded infrastructure program to drive the design of an Auckland spatial plan whose primary purpose is to ensure that the region and its communities are ready to receive centrally planned infrastructure – schools, prisons or roads of national significance.
The importance of local place-making was central to much of the discussion that led to the Royal Commission. Those discussions recognised the importance of horizontal integration, as well as vertical integration. There needed to be better integration between Council and central government planning, but there also needed to be more integrated thinking at local level around local place-making and planning.
Comprehensive approaches to spatial planning are used in other countries where, for example, there is a national spatial plan, regional spatial plans, and local spatial plans. As European countries have two decades of spatial planning experience and Auckland is just beginning, there are lessons we can learn.
Louis Albrecht is a world authority on spatial planning. He believes that the idea of spatial planning – particularly strategic spatial planning - does represent a break with traditional planning when: “it is directed more towards integrated socio-economic courses of action that supersede the mere focus on land use planning….”
In other words that spatial planning is about more than simply new roads and budgets and actions-plans on a map.
Albrecht argues that strategic spatial planning should be about a limited number of strategic key issue areas. He advises, “strategic spatial planning is used for complex problems where authorities at different levels and different sectors and private actors are mutually dependent.” He also argues for a highly engaged public process. He advises, “it is crucial that all relevant stakeholders (public and private) agree on the issues to be dealt with in the strategic planning process and recognise their problems and challenges in the overall problem formulation.”
A best practice spatial plan is not a comprehensive all-things-to-all-people plan or map. To be strategic and effective it needs to target specific Auckland development issues. These are: housing poverty; transport energy demand; accommodating growth; and better place-making. And the spatial plan needs to be about implementation.
The transformation of Auckland through better passenger transport systems, through compact town centre form, through Pedestrian Oriented Urban design and development - won’t happen if it’s merely seen as a regional strategy.
This transformation can only occur town centre by town centre, commercial zone by commercial zone, and street by street. It will be a project by project transformation at local level where each project is treated on its merits and according to on-the-ground specifics of existing urban fabric, existing transport infrastructure, community hopes and aspirations, land owner expectations, and heritage opportunities.
Best practice spatial planning is as much about local place-making through processes which constructively involve and engage local stakeholders, as it is about the construction of central government inspired large scale infrastructure.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Build a Better Auckland Spatial Plan
In my time as a councillor I have seen planning approaches like Comprehensive Management Plans, Structure Plans, Master Plans - and now Spatial Plans - come and go in Auckland. Like planning fashions. And in each case Council officers and politicians have manipulated those techniques and planning methods so that nothing really changed, or so that dominant interests got what they wanted.
This is not really a surprise as Auckland’s local government has always been an arena for the contest of ideas and ideologies that seek to influence its decisions.
Spatial planning is the latest attraction for that contest and it seems that everyone wants one . The Hauraki Gulf Forum wants one. Devonport wants one. And the Government wants Auckland’s new supercity Council to have one too.
Superficially a spatial plan for Auckland sounds appropriate and good. A city spatial plan conjures up images of a big map with new road, state highway, sewer main, land subdivision, and school projects - each labelled with budgets and action plans for staged completion. Just what Auckland needs.
However proposed reforms for Auckland governance incorporate a spatial planning approach that are little more than a tool to build central government’s economic growth oriented infrastructure program into the heart of Auckland.
Government briefing papers confirm that the purpose of the spatial plan (which was closely linked with the National Infrastructure Plan) is to ensure that Auckland will be ready to receive infrastructure projects that have been centrally planned and funded.
“After reviewing international practices and considering the Royal Commission’s recommendation for a spatial plan, and the needs of central government in planning infrastructure investment”, writes the Minister of Environment in his Cabinet briefing paper, “I consider that a spatial plan, as part of the statutory planning framework for the Auckland Council, would enable growth and development, and support the achievement of broad objectives for the residents of the Auckland region and the wider nation.”
The Bill now being considered by Parliament provides for a more inclusive and consultative approach to the preparation of Auckland’s spatial plan than the first drafting, but the underlying purpose of the reform remains. That is for a nationally funded infrastructure program to drive the design of an Auckland spatial plan whose primary purpose is to ensure that the region and its communities are ready to receive centrally planned infrastructure – schools, prisons or roads of national significance.
The importance of local place-making was central to much of the discussion that led to the Royal Commission. Those discussions recognised the importance of horizontal integration, as well as vertical integration. There needed to be better integration between Council and central government planning, but there also needed to be more integrated thinking at local level around local place-making and planning.
Comprehensive approaches to spatial planning are used in other countries where, for example, there is a national spatial plan, regional spatial plans, and local spatial plans. As European countries have two decades of spatial planning experience and Auckland is just beginning, there are lessons we can learn.
Louis Albrecht is a world authority on spatial planning. He believes that the idea of spatial planning – particularly strategic spatial planning - does represent a break with traditional planning when: “it is directed more towards integrated socio-economic courses of action that supersede the mere focus on land use planning….”
In other words that spatial planning is about more than simply new roads and budgets and actions-plans on a map.
Albrecht argues that strategic spatial planning should be about a limited number of strategic key issue areas. He advises, “strategic spatial planning is used for complex problems where authorities at different levels and different sectors and private actors are mutually dependent.” He also argues for a highly engaged public process. He advises, “it is crucial that all relevant stakeholders (public and private) agree on the issues to be dealt with in the strategic planning process and recognise their problems and challenges in the overall problem formulation.”
A best practice spatial plan is not a comprehensive all-things-to-all-people plan or map. To be strategic and effective it needs to target specific Auckland development issues. These are: housing poverty; transport energy demand; accommodating growth; and better place-making. And the spatial plan needs to be about implementation.
The transformation of Auckland through better passenger transport systems, through compact town centre form, through Pedestrian Oriented Urban design and development - won’t happen if it’s merely seen as a regional strategy.
This transformation can only occur town centre by town centre, commercial zone by commercial zone, and street by street. It will be a project by project transformation at local level where each project is treated on its merits and according to on-the-ground specifics of existing urban fabric, existing transport infrastructure, community hopes and aspirations, land owner expectations, and heritage opportunities.
Best practice spatial planning is as much about local place-making through processes which constructively involve and engage local stakeholders, as it is about the construction of central government inspired large scale infrastructure.
This is not really a surprise as Auckland’s local government has always been an arena for the contest of ideas and ideologies that seek to influence its decisions.
Spatial planning is the latest attraction for that contest and it seems that everyone wants one . The Hauraki Gulf Forum wants one. Devonport wants one. And the Government wants Auckland’s new supercity Council to have one too.
Superficially a spatial plan for Auckland sounds appropriate and good. A city spatial plan conjures up images of a big map with new road, state highway, sewer main, land subdivision, and school projects - each labelled with budgets and action plans for staged completion. Just what Auckland needs.
However proposed reforms for Auckland governance incorporate a spatial planning approach that are little more than a tool to build central government’s economic growth oriented infrastructure program into the heart of Auckland.
Government briefing papers confirm that the purpose of the spatial plan (which was closely linked with the National Infrastructure Plan) is to ensure that Auckland will be ready to receive infrastructure projects that have been centrally planned and funded.
“After reviewing international practices and considering the Royal Commission’s recommendation for a spatial plan, and the needs of central government in planning infrastructure investment”, writes the Minister of Environment in his Cabinet briefing paper, “I consider that a spatial plan, as part of the statutory planning framework for the Auckland Council, would enable growth and development, and support the achievement of broad objectives for the residents of the Auckland region and the wider nation.”
The Bill now being considered by Parliament provides for a more inclusive and consultative approach to the preparation of Auckland’s spatial plan than the first drafting, but the underlying purpose of the reform remains. That is for a nationally funded infrastructure program to drive the design of an Auckland spatial plan whose primary purpose is to ensure that the region and its communities are ready to receive centrally planned infrastructure – schools, prisons or roads of national significance.
The importance of local place-making was central to much of the discussion that led to the Royal Commission. Those discussions recognised the importance of horizontal integration, as well as vertical integration. There needed to be better integration between Council and central government planning, but there also needed to be more integrated thinking at local level around local place-making and planning.
Comprehensive approaches to spatial planning are used in other countries where, for example, there is a national spatial plan, regional spatial plans, and local spatial plans. As European countries have two decades of spatial planning experience and Auckland is just beginning, there are lessons we can learn.
Louis Albrecht is a world authority on spatial planning. He believes that the idea of spatial planning – particularly strategic spatial planning - does represent a break with traditional planning when: “it is directed more towards integrated socio-economic courses of action that supersede the mere focus on land use planning….”
In other words that spatial planning is about more than simply new roads and budgets and actions-plans on a map.
Albrecht argues that strategic spatial planning should be about a limited number of strategic key issue areas. He advises, “strategic spatial planning is used for complex problems where authorities at different levels and different sectors and private actors are mutually dependent.” He also argues for a highly engaged public process. He advises, “it is crucial that all relevant stakeholders (public and private) agree on the issues to be dealt with in the strategic planning process and recognise their problems and challenges in the overall problem formulation.”
A best practice spatial plan is not a comprehensive all-things-to-all-people plan or map. To be strategic and effective it needs to target specific Auckland development issues. These are: housing poverty; transport energy demand; accommodating growth; and better place-making. And the spatial plan needs to be about implementation.
The transformation of Auckland through better passenger transport systems, through compact town centre form, through Pedestrian Oriented Urban design and development - won’t happen if it’s merely seen as a regional strategy.
This transformation can only occur town centre by town centre, commercial zone by commercial zone, and street by street. It will be a project by project transformation at local level where each project is treated on its merits and according to on-the-ground specifics of existing urban fabric, existing transport infrastructure, community hopes and aspirations, land owner expectations, and heritage opportunities.
Best practice spatial planning is as much about local place-making through processes which constructively involve and engage local stakeholders, as it is about the construction of central government inspired large scale infrastructure.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment