Is Quay Street REOI Too Limited?

It's good for Auckland that Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse and Council's Development Committee have taken some control over what's happening in Downtown Auckland and on the CBD Waterfront. They've called for Expressions of Interest from Urban Planners and Designers about Quay Street - not forgetting about the various other projects that interconnect.

Not everyone is delighted about this.

For example we read in stuff.co.nz: "BOULEVARD BLUES: Councillor Cameron Brewer is not convinced the plan to make Quay St a pedestrian-friendly boulevard is a good one...."

Council's media release advises:

Auckland Council is seeking proposals from designers to assist with the future redevelopment of Quay Street. Quay Street has been earmarked for change under the City Centre Master Plan – a blueprint for the future use of the central city.The council is issuing a request for expressions of interest from design consultants.Concept designs for development of Quay Street will be considered by the Auckland Development Committee, and Aucklanders will have an opportunity to have their say before designs are finalised.

“We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to create a great waterfront and city centre, and we need the best designers working with us as we develop our proposals to transform this area,” Deputy Mayor and Auckland Development Committee Chair Penny Hulse said.

City Centre integration general manager Rick Walden, said the project was at a very early stage. “As options are developed we will be seeking input from the wider community.”

The council aims to complete the appointment of a design team in November. 

 That gives an idea of the process and the timeframe. Various bits and pieces of work for Quay Street have come and gone in recent years. The image below is from this previous Auckland Council work:

 No doubt this and other ideas will be available to those organisations that get through the Request for EOI process and are asked by Auckland Council to be the design team.

Transportblog has considered this image and its reading is that the image suggests the following:

• Shared space intersections
• Two lanes of traffic each way and no separate turning lanes at intersections
• A central planted median with trees
• Slightly widened footpaths
• No parking
• No Cycle Lanes

It looks to me as if the design visualised suggests significant changes at the bottom of Lower Albert as well. But it's useful to question what is in, and what is not in. What is up for change, and is it the change we need?

What Auckland Council is asking for:

The detailed text of Auckland Council's Request for Expressions Of Interest documentation is instructive. I have bolded particular sections:

Design and construction monitoring services are required for a transformation of Auckland waterfront area for the Quay Street Project. The project has both design and implementation stages.

Design and construction monitoring services are required for a transformation of Auckland waterfront area for the Quay Street Project. The project is estimated at 6 years in length with both design and implementation stages of the project. The Quay Street area of Auckland is the main welcome and arrival area for public from transport and tourism activities with Auckland Council wanting to transform the area to reinvigorate the Downtown and Waterfront area.

Summary

This Request for Expression of Interest process (REOI) seeks Expressions of Interest (EOI) from suitably qualified and interested consultants to enable a short list to be established by Auckland Council. Shortlisted participants from the REOI will be invited to respond to a Request for Proposal process (RFP) for the provision of design and construction monitoring services for the Quay Street Project.

This is a multi-disciplinary commission, and it is intended that a contract with one consultant, or lead consultant (in the case of a consortium), is to be awarded as a result of the RFP process that is to follow the REOI process. There is a preference for a design-led team with the ability to provide the management and skills required to deliver a design that meets the project brief and objectives.

If any consortia are proposed then details are to be included in the EOI. Any agreement entered into by Auckland Council as a result of the procurement will be with one contracting party, who may lead a consortium of major partners and a number of specialist sub consultants as required. Auckland Council will have the right to approve all subcontractors.

Non New Zealand resident International participation is encouraged, with a preference that these parties participate in association with a NZ resident practice.

The scope of professional services to be procured includes refreshed concept, preliminary and detailed design and construction monitoring.

Introduction and background

The Auckland Plan has identified the city centre, of which the waterfront is a critical component, as one of two key areas in the Auckland region requiring transformational change to meet the Mayor’s vision of making Auckland the world’s most liveable city.

Auckland Council’s City Centre Master Plan (CCMP) and Waterfront Auckland’s Waterfront Plan both identify the poor connections between the central city and waterfront. The proposal is to enhance both the north-south links from city to water, and create a grand urban axis in the east-west direction that connects the various parts of the wider waterfront. At the heart of the grand urban axis lies Quay Street. It is the central city’s ‘front yard’ and ‘welcome mat’ to the city centre for thousands of people on a daily basis.

Significant investment has been made in the Downtown precinct over the last 10 years. The council has made it a priority to transform Quay Street and the adjacent waterfront areas to help ‘unlock’ the surrounding destinations and create a stunning front door to a reinvigorated Downtown and Waterfront area.

The Quay Street Project responds to Council’s strategic direction for the Downtown precinct. It is funded by the 10 year CCMP Implementation Programme (2012-2022) and is being managed as part of the City Centre Integration Group (CCIG).

The project scope comprises of the following areas:

· Quay Street – between Lower Hobson Street and Britomart Place *
· Ferry Basin – water’s edge open space, adjoining Quay Street
· Ferry Building Promenade – open space immediately north of the Ferry Building
· Quay Street – between Britomart Place and Tangihua Street (Master Plan level).

The scope of professional services to be procured includes refreshed concept, preliminary and detailed design and construction monitoring.

There are numerous interfacing and interdependent projects and developments planned in the Downtown precinct. It is important that the Quay Street Project both leads and closely integrates with these.

Project Scope

The Quay Street Project scope includes:

· Quay Street – between Lower Hobson Street and Britomart Place
· Ferry Basin – water’s edge open space, adjoining Quay Street
· Ferry Building Promenade – open space immediately north of the Ferry Building
· Quay Street – between Britomart Place and Tangihua Street (master plan level)

Quay Street currently comprises six lanes of traffic and carries some 25,000 vehicles per day. Quay Street is used by general vehicle traffic, buses and some freight. 
A public transport “hub” is centred at the Quay Street/Queen Street intersection where there is access to the ferry terminal, the airport bus, taxis, coach services, and the Britomart bus and train stations. 
With the upgrading of Queen’s Wharf to be the primary cruise terminal, this intersection will see further traffic and pedestrian management challenges and will be of even greater importance in servicing this important transport hub.

The existing open space on the Ferry Basin water’s edge is provided by Piers 3 and 4, which adjoin the Quay Street seawall. Given the deteriorating condition of these existing piers, the proposal to seismically upgrade the Quay Street seawall and the Ferry Basin Master Plan’s proposal to upgrade and reconfigure ferry operations, it’s likely that these piers will be replaced with new wharf infrastructure.

Ports of Auckland Ltd are preparing a concept design for development of the Admiralty Basin water’s edge wharf area adjoining Quay Street. 

What I think is needed

This story is going to be around for a long time. So is Quay Street. So is Auckland. So are the other projects that this project will lead and integrate with. So I think it important that the scope we give the designers allows them to explore the big picture. And also to consider the staging of CBD regeneration required, and even what sort of governance arrangements need to be in place to give designers confidence that all aspects of their designs will be implemented - unlike the public good failure exemplified in Princes Wharf.

You will note from the REOI that it makes no mention of Downtown Precinct or of QE Square. Not in so many words. It doesn't mention Queens Wharf or Princes Wharf either. Which brings me there:

This picture is of the intersection between Hobson Street and Quay Street at Princes Wharf. (Thank you transportblog). It is a dangerous intersection for pedestrians. It's at the centre of the Auckland Council's envisioned Quay Street grand urban axis. I understand there's been some design attention paid to the intersection from Queens Wharf across Quay Street already (it's shifting a little east - but needs to be placed further east - see this posting). The REOI design scope does appear to include the Hobson Street intersection - but not any of the roads or uses off it - except Quay Street itself.

Now my last point. But before that, ask yourself this question: why did we build the Grafton Gully motorway connection with State Highway 1? In part this was to provide a direct road access for port truck traffic. But it also enabled traffic from Eastern Bays to bypass the Auckland CBD (if they were heading North), it also gave them direct access to Wellesley Street to access the CBD from that point of entry. A lot of design work has gone into making the links with Grafton Gully work better, so it is more useful for West and East bound traffic. For example see this posting in transportblog. The logic is remorseless surely. Plan Auckland's Waterfront CBD as a destination rather than a through route, and thereby make it a pedestrian haven.

Transport planning for the Auckland CBD needs a motto: to it - not through it

That's why it's the other end of Quay Street that's also key. My last point is summed up in this picture:

The Hobson Street ramp, with the Council carpark to the right. Any serious transformation of Auckland's CBD waterfront should include the removal of this ramp, and the redevelopment of the carpark building which would be rendered redundant by significant improvements in public transport.

The Hobson Street ramp will not be necessary when Quay Street is restricted to the two lanes of traffic shown in the artist's picture above.

Its removal would sharply increase the value and development potential of the municipal carpark land. Ramp removal would have other major planning benefits:

• it would free up lower Hobson Street for development
• the Princes Wharf intersection could be redesigned consistent with Quay Street's grand urban axis status
• the finer grain street network east and west of lower Hobson Street could be reinstated

What is needed is staged implementation of Auckland's urban waterfront regeneration. We don't want to restrict the thinking of the urban designers and planners who are stepping up right now. Think of the future.

And think of this area comprehensively. If you don't get my drift, look at this recent posting about Wellington waterfront planning - scroll down and look at the mapped scope of that planning in 1985 and 1987 when it was Gabites Porter and Partners that prepared the Lambton Harbour Combined Scheme for that area.

Other cities have made bigger changes. Make Auckland's CBD Waterfront a liveable place.