Cabinet Paper
Spatial Planning Options for the Auckland Council

Appendix 3 Relevant examples of approaches to strategic planning in major urban areas from other countries

Key lessons from emerging international experience with spatial plans are that they:

provide a broad, long-term strategic direction to address regional growth challenges and opportunities;
are comprehensive in that they address broad goals;
set out a strategic development strategy for how broader policy goals in land use, transport, economic development, health, housing, environmental management and other infrastructure can be achieved;
have the capacity to integrate otherwise competing policy goals and provide opportunities for coherent and combined investment and regulation;
the most effective adopt a broad approach seeking to harness future transport and infrastructure resources to deliver a variety of outcomes, rather than simply managing increased demand;
provide guidance or specific direction highlighting nationally and regionally significant projects to develop and enhance regional infrastructure to support growth in strategic locations.

Greater London Spatial Development Strategy (Population 8 million)

The Greater London Authority Act (1999) required the Mayor to produce a Spatial Development Strategy and to keep it under review. The London Plan is the key integrating strategy for spatial & infrastructure development. It:

identifies an number of ‘Opportunity Areas’ e.g. East London redevelopment as a priority;
coordinates economic and social services in deprived areas including policies for neighbourhood renewal, better health, improved learning and skills, greater safety and better employment and housing opportunities.

Investment is geared to maximise existing infrastructure and the use of public transport.

The local plans of the 32 borough councils of London must be in ‘general conformity’.

The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act (2004) later required all other regions in England to produce a Regional Spatial Strategy, which is a 15-20 year development strategy, incorporating the Regional Transport Strategy.

Figure – Key Diagram from Greater London Spatial Development Strategy

Toronto – Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (population 7.8 million)

The Growth Plan was intended to address negative aspects of rapid growth, including traffic congestion, pollution and loss of agricultural land and natural resources.

There were projections of an additional 3.7m people in the region by 2031, with an additional 1.8m jobs. The Places to Grow Act (2005) (Ontario) provides:

the Provincial government’s long-term vision for the region up to 2031;
an authoritative, strategic approach to coordinating sustainable growth for 110 municipalities;
sets out a system of 25 urban hubs inter-connected by transport/infrastructure investment;
identifies minimum targets for urban intensification (e.g. 40%) and new greenfield densities by 2015;
requires that all levels of government, NGOs, the private sector & citizens work together to implement the plan;
requires all 28 local councils’ planning decisions ‘to conform’ with the plan.

Figure – Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Other maps within the growth plan include ‘Moving People – Transit’, ‘Moving Goods’,

Melbourne 2030 Planning for Sustainable Growth Strategy(population 3.6 million)

Melbourne is the fastest growing of all Australian capital cities.

Melbourne 2030 - Planning for Sustainable Growth Strategy (2002) is the State Government's 30-year strategy to plan and manage sustainable growth and development across greater Melbourne area.

It draws on the State Government’s Growing Victoria Together, which balances broad goals with growth, and Future Melbourne, the community's vision for the city to 2020 and beyond including identification of strategic growth areas.

Melbourne@5 million, the updated growth strategy, aims to accommodate higher population growth projections in established areas, and seeks to improve housing choice, accessibility and reduce transport congestion.

316,000 additional dwellings are anticipated to be located in established urban areas over the next 20 years.

Government departments, planning and responsible authorities, developers and the community are required to ‘consider and apply’ the strategy when making decisions that affect land use, development and subdivision.

It is supported by six draft Implementation Plans (e.g. urban growth boundary, growth areas, housing, activity centres, green wedges, integrated transport and implementation plan statements).

Local planning scheme amendments by local councils have to be ‘consistent with and implement’ the Metropolitan Strategy.

However, Melbourne's strategic framework is fragmented and currently under review.

Figure – Melbourne 2030 - Mapping of policy decisions to enable efficient freight movement

Figure – Melbourne 2030 – Network of Activity Centres

Appendix 4 Regulatory Impact Statement