Summary of feedback from forums on the Draft New Zealand Urban Design Protocol
Forum attendance
Over
August and September 2004, 10 consultation forums were held in the centres
of Auckland (2), Wellington (3), Christchurch, Tauranga, Queenstown,
Dunedin and Hamilton. Over 400 people attended, with:
- 40% of attendees coming from local government
- 40% from the private sector (mainly consultants and developers)
- 5% from central government.
The remainder of the attendees came from a selection of other groups and individuals.
Feedback: Key themes emerging
Almost without exception the government's initiative in producing a Draft New Zealand Urban Design Protocol was supported, and positive action in this area was considered to be long overdue. The voluntary nature of the protocol was also largely supported, although some commentators felt that it should be statutory.
Below is a summary of the key themes that emerged from the forums including specific initiatives that were proposed. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list of all the comments.
Central government leadership
Central government has a strong role in leading the drive for quality urban design, including providing logistical and financial support for local government and through leading by example in its own development activities.
Specific initiatives proposed included:
- Creating an urban affairs office to provide national coordination
- Funding to support urban design projects and initiatives
- Facilitating the exchange of learning
- Developing a national urban strategy
Integrating central government infrastructure with local strategies
Central government has a significant influence on the form of urban areas through their direct provision of essential infrastructure such as housing, hospitals, schools, courts, police stations, roads etc, and these need to be more closely aligned with regional and district strategies and long-term plans.
Specific initiatives proposed included:
- Ensuring effective central government input into Long Term Council Community Plans (LTCCPs)
- Improved coordination between central government infrastructure providers
- Enhanced strategic long-term planning of infrastructure
- Developing partnerships between central and local government.
Raising public awareness of urban design
Without greater public awareness of urban design and how it affects everyone, change can only be partial. Community pressure can help deliver better quality and feed into how developers and local government respond.
Specific initiatives proposed included:
- Using a 'year of the built environment' to promote awareness
- Showcasing alternative forms of living to demonstrate how they can be successfully achieved
- Engaging the community in planning and decision-making
- Getting mainstream media more involved
- Developing a schools (primary and secondary) programme on urban design
- Developing a an urban design 'ratings' system for new developments
- Using the Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP) process to facilitate greater public awareness.
Lack of capacity and skills
A major obstacle to achieving the objectives of the Protocol is the lack of capacity and skills in urban design in New Zealand, particularly in smaller local governments. More urban designers were necessary, but all professionals working in urban-related fields need to increase their skills in urban design.
Specific initiatives proposed included:
- A centre(s) of excellence to promote learning and best practice
- Urban design advisory panels (national, regional and local) to raise the bar of urban design in new developments
- Support services for smaller local governments providing access to urban design expertise
- Regional pooling of urban design expertise and resources
- Additional university courses in urban design as well as inclusion into the syllabus of related degree/masters courses
- CPD training in urban design for all relevant professions
- Training for all councillors making RMA decisions
- A programme of urban themed conferences
- Immigration strategies to encourage an increase in skilled urban professionals.
Need to demonstrate the value of urban design
The economic benefits of urban design need to be clearly outlined and robustly justified. Many developers do not lead change - they follow what they perceive the market wants, and they need to be convinced that there is not an acceptable risk to try something different. Likewise councillors need to be convinced of the importance of urban design for the success of their towns and cities.
Specific initiatives proposed included:
- Urban design awards to showcase successful examples and reward good practice
- A value case to outline the benefits and costs of quality urban design including case examples in New Zealand, particularly economic.
Need for coordination and collaboration
Quality urban design can only happen if there is better integration and coordination between levels of government, between sectors, between professionals and between issues.
Specific initiatives proposed included:
- Regional councils actively engaged in urban design at a regional/metro level
- A national urban design institute to coordinate research and promote best practice (modelled on CABE in the UK) including a website resource
- Multidisciplinary
- Creation of networks (cross-professional, cross-sector) to facilitate the exchange of ideas
- National forums on urban issues
- Promoting structure plans as a key tool for achieving coordinated urban design outcomes at a local level
- Integrated planning of land use and transport
- Integrated consideration of subdivision and land uses
- Health, transport and education integrated into land use planning
- Engineering, parking and subdivision standards need to be re-assessed in terms of wider urban design objectives.
Legislative support
Statutory support is needed to firmly embed urban design into planning and decision-making processes.
Specific initiatives proposed included:
- Amending Part II of the Resource Management Act to include reference to urban design as being a matter of national importance
- Preparing a National Policy Statement on urban design
- Ministry for the Environment to support local government in defending key design related cases in the Environment Court
- Developing incentives for good urban design (ie accelerated resource consent processes)
- Preparing National Environment Standards on urban related issues, such as parking, signage, access, noise, cell phone towers.
Facilitating change
Achieving successful urban change and quality design may require greater involvement of the public sector and additional funding, particularly in areas where there is low market demand, where new forms of development are needed, or where land ownership is fragmented.
Specific initiatives proposed included:
- Investigating the potential for urban development corporations or regeneration agencies
- Better public/private partnerships
- Increased use of pre-application meetings with developers
- Building a strong vision for every town/city to clearly communicate the desired future
- Additional funding to support the take-up of urban design initiatives.
Lack of research on urban issues
Research on urban issues in New Zealand is limited and the results fragmented and not widely distributed
Specific initiative proposed included:
- Monitoring the results of urban design initiatives and reporting the learning
- Additional funding for urban research
- Development of case studies of good and bad practice.
Feedback: Issues that may need to be dealt with differently in the final protocol
Some comments were also received on areas within the draft protocol that may need to be added to or done differently. The key issues that people wanted to see changed included:
- Coverage of specific issues - additional emphasis should be given to: sustainable design, cultural heritage, design reflecting our different cultural groups, community safety and design for people with disabilities
- Definitions - need to define what quality urban design means
- Action Pack - additional examples needed for other groups including community groups, non-government organisations and private sector consultancies
- Public focus - the protocol or linked programmes need to also have a public focus, to build the case for change at a community level. This may require a simpler version and a programme of action
- Guidelines - need for national guidelines on quality urban design
- Status - the protocol should have statutory status under the RMA
- Outcomes - how will success be measured and actions monitored and reported?
Other feedback
Feedback from the written submissions we have received (over 110 submissions) has been also been summarised.
Last updated: 17 September 2007
