10 ways to design more inclusive cities
10 ways to design more inclusive cities

The statistics don’t lie: the bulk of the those that are designing living and urban spaces in New Zealand cities are men – but the times are changing. Globally, there is a conversation taking place on what cities would look like if equal weighting was given to all of its citizens in the design process. Co-founder of Women in Urbanism, a New Zealand organisation formed to push for more feminist cities, Emma McInnes makes a case for how New Zealand’s cities can be made to be more inclusive through urban design.

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Opinion, Urban DesignEmma McInnesInclusive cities
On your bike - for the 2019 Aotearoa Bike Challenge
On your bike - for the 2019 Aotearoa Bike Challenge

The weather gods are certainly doing their bit to support this year’s Aotearoa Bike Challenge, with stunning sunny days encouraging people to get out of their cars and onto their bikes. The February challenge is part of the New Zealand Transport Agency’s commitment to helping people get around by bike, with a focus on investing in connected cycling networks as part of a wider transport system.

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TransportGuest UserAotearoa Bike Challenge
Jasmax takes a lead in the digital revolution
Jasmax takes a lead in the digital revolution

The digital revolution is one of the most powerful paradigms shifts in the design and construction industry today. New technology is the next step in creating the industry of the future, and as Heidi North of Jasmax writes, Jasmax is proud to be at the forefront of this revolution in New Zealand with a simple but powerful goal: design faster and smarter.

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TechnologyHeidi NorthJasmax
Bracing for Brexit - and its impact on landscape architects
Bracing for Brexit - and its impact on landscape architects

Britain is on a countdown to March 29, and a highly contentious Brexit deadline. And it’s fair to say no-one is really sure what’s going to happen. But the country’s professional body for landscape architects, the Landscape Institute, is certain that a no-deal Brexit would be “disastrous” for the profession in the United Kingdom and Europe, exacerbating current skills shortages.

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ProfessionGuest UserBrexit
Papakainga Housing - a Taupo case study
Papakainga Housing - a Taupo case study

Papakāinga. It’s a traditional form of whānau-based communal living on ancestral Māori land that I strongly believe in; in terms of whānau support and well-being. I can’t help but feel passionate about it. So, when a papakāinga project in the Taupō District came up for a Tūrangi-based whānau, I jumped at the opportunity to be part of the project team.

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Communities, PapakāingaKara ScottTaupō
The award winning panda plan
The award winning panda plan

Pandas are considered a national treasure in China, yet despite their noble status and relative lack of predators they’re still very much at risk. Only around 1800 of them exist in the wild - man being their biggest threat. Australian-born design practice HASSELL is doing its bit to help spread the conservation message related to these cuddly icons, by coming up with a Panda Land master plan concept for the southern Chinese city of Chengdu.

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Awards, MasterplanGuest UserPanda, China
Is it time to get rid of traditional lawns?
Is it time to get rid of traditional lawns?

New Zealanders are very attached to their own patches of lawn, the monotonous whirring of mowers a soundtrack to our weekends and long summer evenings, accompanied by petrol fumes and the smell of freshly cut grass. But is it time to get rid of traditional lawns for the environments sake? A pair of urban ecologists - one from Australia, the other from Sweden, certainly think it might be.

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Environment, SustainabilityGuest UserLawns