Innovative urban design approach proposed for CBD streets

Consultation on the proposed upgrade of Elliott Street and Darby Street will run from 13 to 31 July. Part of Auckland City Council's 10 year streetscapes and open places upgrade programme funded by the CBD targeted rate, the upgrade aims to create intimate spaces for people to shop, sit, relax, linger, dine and spend time.

The proposed upgrade looks at changing the way the streets are used, with Elliott Street becoming a shared space and Darby Street a pedestrian mall. Features will include high quality paving, modern street furniture and new outdoor public seating, vegetation and lighting.

An exciting facelift is being considered for a number of streets in Auckland's city centre with the proposed introduction of shared space as part of the council's CBD streetscapes and open spaces upgrade programme.

Although a new concept in Auckland, shared space has been successfully implemented overseas, including in New York, Brighton, Copenhagen and Brisbane, and is considered to be at the forefront of international urban design best practice.

Shared spaces provide equal priority to pedestrians and traffic by having continuous paving across an entire street and removing kerbs, the traditional distinction between the footpath and road.

Where shared spaces have been introduced around the world, city streets have been reclaimed as new public spaces that have attracted high levels of pedestrian activity. The safety, quality and economic performance of these spaces and adjoining properties have been measurably improved without having to ban traffic.

Auckland City Council's 10 year programme to transform the city centre's streets and open spaces into a high quality urban environment began in 2004 and has already seen the successful upgrades of Queen Street, Quay Street, Lorne Street, Karanghahape Road, Swanson Street, Vulcan Lane and lower Khartoum Place. St Patrick's Square and Aotea Square are currently under construction.

The CBD streets earmarked for upgrade were reviewed last year and greater priority was given to streets with the potential to become popular destinations which encourage people to linger longer.

"The benefits of introducing shared space in Auckland's city centre are significant", say Councillor Greg Moyle, chairperson of the Arts, Culture and Recreation Committee.

"Not only does shared space give more priority to pedestrians, it also has been proven to slow vehicle speeds, reduce traffic, and opens the door for more diverse street activities and opportunities to better support business and retail activity."

Connal Townsend, chair of the CBD Board, says the introduction of shared space would help enhance the city centre as a destination that people want to visit and spend time in, as well as attracting investment.

"Shared space has worked well overseas, and for Auckland's city centre to compete with other international cities it's vital we look at opportunities like this to provide an environment which is more pedestrian friendly and more attractive."

Ludo Campbell Reid, Auckland City Council's urban design champion, says that introducing the concept of shared space in Auckland would be another significant milestone in the urban design strategy and would demonstrate a clear statement of intent of the council's increasing recognition of pedestrians within the ongoing transformation of the city centre.

"These are exciting times. Shared space looks at the psychology of how human behaviour and the design of our public spaces drives certain behaviours. It encourages a more democratic, safe and dignified use of the public space for a wider range of businesses and recreational users, and is the perfect fit to the New Zealand psyche."

The streetscapes and open spaces upgrade programme is funded by the CBD targeted rate and is a key feature of the CBD into the Future strategy, which aims to transform Auckland's city centre into an internationally successful business and cultural centre.

As there is a need to keep the work within the existing level of funding available for the remainder of the upgrades, it is proposed to defer the Victoria Street and Kitchener Street north projects from the 10 year programme.

The revised CBD streetscapes programme was endorsed by both the Arts, Culture and Recreation Committee and CBD Board in May 2009.