The Value of Precincts
I like cities that hold onto some areas that are particularly beautiful, particularly loved, that connect to the past but, more importantly, are valued right now. There might be debates around what is special, what is heritage, and I am not a heritage expert, but I am not alone in appreciating the West Village in New York, Gion in Kyoto, Soho in London, the Latin Quarter in Paris, the French Quarter in New Orleans or the heritage precincts and areas of Auckland. The area around Britomart with its old buildings and new is beautiful. The Karangahape Road area is full of gems.
It's not just historic areas, a precinct approach to regeneration can ensure many players, sometimes in competition with each other, will coproduce an area that works coherently and delivers a great place - like the Wynyard Quarter or Hobsonville. It also allows variety of places within a city - and that is a good thing.
So I am pleased that Auckland Council has accepted all recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel with regard Plan Change 78 and that this still includes precincts while increasing capacity in the city centre significantly. Good urban design should be an explicit goal in the Auckland Unitary plan full stop whether somewhere is a precinct or not. This does not preclude development but means a better urban realm and this has a positive economic value too.
However, there are still scores of sites in the city centre being used as car parks. Changes to the AUP, or RMA to increase capacity, is a bit like widening the bottle, rather than the bottle neck. Where things are actually getting stuck is in accessing funding to build housing, and reducing the cost of building.
One of the most important sources of funding is the end purchaser. Lots of Aucklanders want to buy a home in an attractive area at a reasonable price - but what people can afford and desire and what is being offered are not matching up. Considering how places function and how they make you feel matters. Good design can produce homes and neighboursomething is desirable AND affordable AND well-functioning. Why shouldn't we live in lovely places? If it was possible 100 years ago, it should be possible now.