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Urban leader - A newsletter for urban design champions

Issue no. 493 | 28 April 2010

Welcome

Welcome. This regular newsletter contains interesting and useful information to help you champion good urban design in New Zealand.
In this issue we have:

Urban Design Protocol welcomes new signatories

A big welcome to Protocol signatories who joined up last year:

The Protocol now has 181 signatories.

Signatory news

The New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects (NZILA) announced its 2010 awards at its bi-annual conference in Wellington this month. The NZILA George Malcolm Supreme Award was presented to Boffa Miskell Ltd for their St Patrick’s Square project in Auckland.
 The State of Auckland Region report was released in March 2010 by the Auckland Regional Council.
 Manukau City Council are calling for comments on the draft plans for stage two of the Flat Bush master plan. Submissions are open until 21 May 2010.
 Dunedin City Council is seeking input on the future of the South Dunedin retail centre. Submissions close 28 May 2010.
 Also in Dunedin, the Council has withdrawn part of its planned Harbourside development in response to concerns raised about effects on local businesses. The Council proposed a plan change to revitalise the inner Harbourside basin with a mix of activities.
Nominations are now open for the Living Streets Aotearoa Golden Foot Awards. This is your chance to put forward your pick of New Zealand's most innovative new facilities and examples of best practice or on-going commitment to walking in New Zealand. Nominations close 30 June 2010. The awards will be presented at the New Zealand Dollars and Sense of Walking Conference in Wellington on the 2-3 August 2010.

Ministry for the Environment news

Do you know of any good examples of medium density housing developments in New Zealand? The Ministry for the Environment is looking for new case studies that demonstrate the practical application of good urban design principles. If you have suggestions of developments that have already been built please contact Yvonne Weeber - yvonne.weeber@mfe.govt.nz or phone (04) 439 7564.
Details of the new discount policy regulations that councils will be responsible for when resource consents are processed late were released by the Minister for the Environment, Nick Smith, on 21 April 2010. These regulations are required to be in place before 1 July 2010. The Ministry for the Environment will be producing guidelines and giving presentations for councils on how to apply the regulations.
The Quality Planning guidance note To notify or not to notify? That is the question! has now been updated to reflect the 2009 changes to the RMA.

Useful Links and Current Information

  • The review of Land development and subdivision engineering NZS 4404:2004 is progressing and a revised Standard is expected to be published at the end of June. The technical committee has completed its review of over 100 submissions. The revised Standard incorporates up-to-date design principles such as low impact design solutions to stormwater management, and urban design principles that encourage more sustainable places, spaces, and networks in towns and cities.
  • Marilyn Higgins from Heriot-Watt University, Scotland, has published a paper evaluating urban design initiatives in New Zealand. Urban design and the planning system in Aotearoa-New Zealand: Disjuncture or convergence? looks at the effectiveness of planning policy and processes, including the RMA, in achieving design outcomes. It includes a literature review and interviews with 50 key stakeholders. (A copy of the full text requires a subscription or you could interloan it from your university library).
  • New posts on the envirohistory NZ website include Lindsay Gow’s views on the RMA 20 years on. Lindsay Gow retired last year as the Ministry for the Environment’s deputy secretary.
  • What makes you proud to be a landscape architect? How does landscape architecture make the world a better place? Check out how other landscape architects have answered these questions in an on-line contest being held by USA Landscape Architecture Resource website for the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) World Landscape Architecture month.
  • The Oil Crunch - a wake-up call for the UK economy is the second report of the UK Industry Taskforce on Peak Oil and Energy Security. Peak Oil refers to the point where the highest practicable rate of global oil production has been achieved and from which future levels of production will either plateau, or begin to diminish, ie the end of the era of cheap oil. The Taskforce states the impact of Peak Oil will include sharp increases in the cost of travel, food, heating and retail goods. It finds that the transport sector will be particularly hard hit, with more vulnerable members of society the first to feel the impact.
  • A new report from the US’s Center for Neighborhood Technology looks at housing and transport affordability. Penny Wise, Pound Fuelish promotes a focus on housing and transport costs, rather than housing costs alone. It shows that families who pursue a ''drive 'til you qualify'' approach to home ownership to reduce expenses often pay more in higher transportation costs than they save on housing. This thereby places more, not less, stress on their budgets.

Website of the month

Australia’s Victoria Walks website contains advice on how to make your neighbourhood more walk-friendly. It features tools and information on how to form a Walking Action Group and has case studies from Australia and around the world.

Podcast of the month

Hot Cities is an eight part documentary series looks at the impact of climate change on urban areas. Each video is 45 minutes long.

We want your news items

Do you have news that you would like reported in the next Urban Leader? We welcome your stories, and would like to receive more information from Protocol signatories. Email us at urban.design@mfe.govt.nz.
Submitted articles may be edited by the Ministry for the Environment