Auckland infrastructure plan offers "significant opportunities"
Landscape architects have significant leadership roles to play as Auckland starts implementing the Government’s just-announced 30-year transport infrastructure plan. Tuia Pito Ora New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects spokesperson on infrastructure, Grant Bailey, says the $14.6 billion programme is “an opportunity to advocate for positive effects of urban design outcomes with our planning and engineering colleagues.
“These need to be viewed as critical investments through the business case and consenting process and conditioned to ensure they are delivered,” Bailey told LAA. “Ensuring these major infrastructure projects integrate positively with the communities they connect is an important role for landscape architects.”
A render of what Māngere Town Centre would look like with Auckland Light Rail. Image supplied.
Light rail from the CBD to the airport is a critical plank of the programme, and the Government has opted for a partially tunnelled system to become the spine of the city’s future transport network. It’s also promised a preferred option for an additional Waitematā Harbour crossing will be made next year.
“I think it’s fantastic to finally have a decision and a commitment to light rail for Auckland as it not only connects critical transport networks but will be a catalyst for intensification for the city and will provide significant momentum for housing programs to follow,” Bailey says.
“It provides another step change infrastructure project supporting the vision of becoming a more intensive and public transport focused city. As well as airport to city connectivity, it will have obvious benefits to reducing congestion for those communities that it connects which are going to become increasingly more dense.”
A render of the Sandringham light rail station. Image supplied.
Light rail features include:
24km route with up to 18 stations or stops from the City Centre to Māngere and the airport, running every five minutes so people can turn up and go.
Capable of carrying up to 15,000 passengers per hour at peak, which is four times more passengers than a dedicated busway or trackless trams.
Removal of up to 13 car lanes or taking 12,000* cars off the road, which is a great result for local streets, communities and carbon emissions (*average of 1.2 people per car).
Integrates with current train and bus hubs and the City Rail Link stations and connections. Light rail can also be extended to the North Shore and North West without having to transfer from one line to the other.
Includes safe walking and cycling along the corridor and with connections to all stations.
Estimated to bring up to 66,000 new homes by 2051 and open up housing along the corridor in Mt Roskill, Onehunga and Māngere.
Creation of up to 97,000 new jobs by 2051.
Light rail route map. Image supplied.
When asked if the plan was bold enough Bailey says “we can always be bolder. However it appears to be balanced with current projects and responds to future network connections.
“The tunnel is a bold decision but perhaps will free up Dominion and Sandringham Roads to be re-focused as streets for people as mass rapid transport will reduce vehicles and the bus frequency along these corridors. An important aspect will be the walking and cycling connections and the frequency of the stations and how they are integrated into those communities. The shift from the Dominion Road corridor possibly has benefits to heritage sensitivities for some of those communities and allows less contested intensification along the proposed route.”
