3 Results: Organisations Conducting Research

Alex Parton

Alex Parton

441 Mahurangi West Road
RD 3
Warkworth
Email: parton.a@xtra.co.nz

In planning:

Nil.

In progress:

Nil.

Completed:

Title:

Comparative Study of Household Crime Rates (Burglaries) in Different Types of Roads (2001/2002)

Purpose:

Undefined by respondent.

Title:

Comparative Study of Pedestrian Accessibility (in Different Types of Roading Layout) (2001/2002)

Purpose:

Undefined by respondent.

Auckland Regional Council

Brenna Waghorn (Strategic Policy Analyst) or Chris Hatton (Manager Environmental Research)

Vodafone House
21 Pitt Street
Private Bag 92 012
Auckland

Phone: (09) 366 2000
Fax: (09) 366 2155
Email: brenna.waghorn@arc.govt.nz; chris.hatton@arc.govt.nz
Website: www.arc.govt.nz

In planning:

Title (provisional):

'Whole of life cost benefit of storm water management practices'

Purpose:

To determine the capital and maintenance costs of various stormwater treatment devices and methods, in order to determine the 'best practicable option'.

Co-researchers:

ARC Stormwater team plus consultant.

In progress:

Title:

'Regional intensification: intensive housing demand and supply issues'

Purpose:

To discuss and identify market-based mechanisms that can be used to promote further nodal-based intensification in the Auckland region, in accordance with the Auckland Regional Growth Strategy.

Title:

'Indoor air quality'

Purpose:

To determine whether urban design and transport factors affect indoor air quality, and to assess the implications for urban planning, especially aspects of the Growth Strategy.

Co-researchers:

ARC Air Quality team.

Completed:

Title:

Urban Area Intensification: regional practice and resource guide (June 2000)

Purpose:

To provide guidance aimed at improving the practice and results of higher-density housing.

Title:

Building a Better Future (August 2000)

Purpose:

To review the quality of case studies of medium-density development, including community perceptions, design review, and its implications for intensification.

Title:

Low Impact Design Manual for the Auckland Region (2000)

Purpose:

To provide leading-edge guidelines on low-impact development practice. This is an alternative approach to urban design and development for residential land, incorporating natural site features into erosion and sediment control and stormwater management.

Co-researchers:

Earl Shaver, Julie Turner (ARC), Harrison Grierson Consultants Ltd, Beca Valuations Ltd.

Title:

Fish Passage Guidelines for the Auckland Region (2000)

Purpose:

A practical guideline for retro-fitting or designing fish passage at stream barriers (eg, culverts, weirs etc).

Principal researcher:

NIWA Ltd (Hamilton).

Title:

Riparian Management Zones: A Strategy for the Auckland Region (June 2001)

Purpose:

To develop standard practices for riparian protection and restoration for Auckland streams, including widths of riparian corridors.

Co-researchers:

Ken Becker (ARC), Claire Feeney (Environment and Business Group), Andrea Julian (Natural Heritage Consulting Ltd).

Title:

What to Look for When Buying a Terraced House or Apartment (2001)

Purpose:

To educate consumers, raise the level of public expectations and, ultimately, encourage developers to provide better-quality developments.

Co-researchers:

North Shore City Council.

Title:

Auckland Regional Council Swale Performance Monitoring Project (2002)

Purpose:

To develop a practical guideline for implementing stormwater quality control.

Principal researcher:

Dr MF Larcombe.

Title:

Design for Vegetative Wetlands for Treatment of Urban Stormwater in the Auckland Region (2002)

Purpose:

To develop a practical guideline for implementing stormwater quality control.

Principal researcher:

Dr MF Larcombe.

Title:

Stormwater Treatment Devices: Design guideline manual (2003)

Purpose:

A guideline for design, construction and maintenance of stormwater treatment devices for improving water quality and managing flooding and erosion.

Principal researcher:

Earl Shaver, ARC.

Title:

A Study of Roof Runoff Quality in Auckland, New Zealand: Implications for stormwater management (2004)

Purpose:

To characterise the quality of roof run-off from various land uses to determine what, if any, management responses are required to mitigate any adverse effects.

Principal researchers:

Kingett Mitchel Ltd (Auckland), Diffuse Sources Ltd (Auckland).

Title:

Investigating the Use of Filter Media for the Removal of Soluble Contaminants from Stormwater (2004)

Purpose:

To research new methods for treating urban stormwater for possible inclusion in future guidelines.

Principal researchers:

Landcare Research Ltd.

Title:

Framework for assessment and management of urban streams in the Auckland Region (August 2004)

Purpose:

To provide a consistent framework for undertaking such work.

Principal researcher:

John Maxted.

Title:

A compendium of urban design case studies (2004)

Purpose:

To demonstrate the practical application of the principles in the (draft) New Zealand Urban Design Protocol, as a web-based resource for practitioners and decision-makers throughout New Zealand and as a resource for a short CPD course in applied urban design, to be launched this year.

Co-researchers:

Other Auckland councils, Ministry for the Environment.

Title:

Upper Waitemata harbour development impacts study (2004)

Purpose:

Involves computer modelling of contaminant run-off from various urban land-use development scenarios and its impact on the ecology of the harbour. This information is being used in a decision support framework for developing a structure plan for the area.

Principal researchers:

NIWA Ltd (Hamilton), Diffuse Solutions Ltd (Auckland).

Title:

Social Implications of Housing Intensification in the Auckland Region: Analysis and review of media reports, surveys and literature (February 2005)

Purpose:

To assess the perceived social impacts of intensification through analysis of local media coverage and resident surveys and to compare perceptions with international research literature to see if there was any support for the views expressed.

Co-sponsors:

Auckland City Council, Waitakere City Council, Housing New Zealand Corporation

Researchers:

Catherine Syme (Synchro Consulting), Victoria McGregor and David Mead (Hill Young Cooper).

Comments:

At ARC there has also been a lot of work done on:

• the management of apartments (body corporates and the Unit Titles Act 1972)
• business land strategy (which is under development, but there have been several stages of research)
• the Regional Open Space Strategy.

Auckland Regional Public Health Service

Dr Jennifer Hand (Research Policy and Information Public Health Advisor)

2 Owens Road
Epsom
Private Bag 92 605
Symonds Street
Auckland 1035

Phone: (09) 262 1855
Cellphone: 025 781 043
Fax: (09) 623 4642
Email: jennifer@adhb.govt.nz or j.hand@auckland.ac.nz
Website: www.arphs.govt.nz

In planning:

Title (provisional):

'Use of urban public space for physical and cultural re-creation'

Purpose:

To provide public health information on design of recreational areas that:

• provide a safe and attractive place for use by diverse communities and by new groups such as women migrants
• contribute to better cultural understanding among communities
• ensure personal safety in public places
• provide a place for women and their young children to exercise outdoors
• provide opportunities for health messages such as injury prevention, the need for sun exposure to prevent nutritional disease, exercise to reduce obesity, and supporting physical activities.

In progress:

Title:

'State of public health report, Auckland region'

Purpose:

To increase understanding of the importance of social and environmental factors in the health of the region.

Co-researchers:

Team of public health service, contractor Nicky Coupe.

Completed:

Title:

Housing and Health - A summary of selected research for Auckland Regional Public Health services (December 2004)

Purpose:

To summarise selected recent research into housing and health in the Auckland urban region.

Researcher:

Jenny Rankine.

Auckland University of Technology (AUT)

Dr Grant Schofield

Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research
Faculty of Health
Private Bag 92006
Auckland 1020

Phone: (09) 917 9999 ext 7307
Fax: (09) 917 9746
Email: grant.schofield@aut.ac.nz

or

Hannah Badland (PhD candidate)

Phone: (09) 917 9999 ext 7250
Fax: (09) 917 9746
Email: hannah.badland@aut.ac.nz
Website: www.aut.ac.nz

or

Nick Garrett (AFE project leader)

Phone: (09) 917 9999 ext 7773
Email: nick.garrett@aut.ac.nz

In planning:

Nil.

In progress:

Title:

'Active Friendly Environments: Physical Activity and the Built Environment'

Purpose:

To investigate the association between levels of physical activity, physical activity self-efficacy, and the built environment (actual and/or perceived). This will be achieved by linking physical activity sites or facilities with a North Shore population survey and facilities audit survey, through the use of geographical information systems.

Title:

'Active Friendly Environments: Physical Activity and the Built Environment Community Consultation Component'

Purpose:

(i) Examine different perceptions of physical activity, facilities to undertake physical activity and their relationships to the environment across key cultural communities and interest groups within North Shore City.

(ii) Identify any differential measures that are relevant to key cultural communities and/or interest groups within North Shore City.

Co-researchers:

North Shore City Council, Harbour Sport.

Title:

'Active Friendly Environments: Physical Activity Site Audit of North Shore City Facilities and Open Spaces'

Purpose:

(i) Determine catchment zones of the facility or open space users.

(ii) Identify demographic characteristics of users.

(iii) Identify users' perceptions of facilities and open spaces.

Co-researchers:

North Shore City Council, Harbour Sport.

Title:

'Active Friendly Environments: North Shore City Residents Telephone Survey'

Purpose:

(i) Determine differences between facility accessibility, perceptions of the local environment, travel behaviours, and physical activity differences amongst diverse cultural and socio-economic groups within the North Shore.

(ii) Identify perceptual and objective differences between those who do and do not utilise their local environment for physical activity.

(iii) Compare self-report data with geographic information systems (GIS) to determine differences between perceived and objective environmental variables.

Co-researchers:

North Shore City Council, Harbour Sport.

Title:

'Urban Design, Transport, and Physical Activity: Understanding Associations and Perceptions'

Purpose:

To investigate the role of urban design with transport-related physical activity (ie, walking or biking to local shops or occupation) using a SPARC dataset 'Obstacles to Action', and a North Shore randomised CATI sample. This is a three year study that will result in academic publications.

Co-researchers:

AUT: Lisa Mackay, Prof Sergei Gulyaev

North Shore City Council: Lisa Tocker, Bernadine Walsh

Harbour Sport: Sarah Dunning, Danny O'Donnell.

Completed:

Title:

Active Friendly Environments: Transport-related Physical Activity Questionnaire Pilot Testing and Reliability (February 2005)

Purpose:

(i) Determine test, re-test reliability of a telephone administered transport-related pilot physical activity survey.

(ii) Pilot test questionnaire protocol and comprehension.