Source: Auckland Council
When a plan leaps off the page and becomes reality, there’s reason to celebrate.
The eighth ‘transformational move’ in the 2012 City Centre Masterplan refreshed in 2020 – the Harbour edge stitch – has made spectacular progress in uniting Auckland’s waterfront with the city centre.
And the other seven transformational moves are gathering pace: Māori outcomes; The east and west stitch; Waihorotiu / Queen Street valley; The Learning Quarter; Transit oriented development; The Green Link and City to the villages.
The Auckland Council group is working to a joined-up vision with improved streets, lanes, spaces and the greening of the city centre. Public spaces provide the canvas for public life. They are an important part of improving liveability, sustainability and authenticity in our city, enjoyed by our fast-growing residential population, businesses and visitors.
Mana whenua have been integral to the re-design of the city centre. Te ao Māori expression is reflected in the way the spaces look, feel and function.
Te Ngau o Horotiu – six new ferry berths
It was 2021 when we last reflected on how far we’ve come in delivering the City Centre Masterplan. In 2024, it’s timely to look at progress again. These projects have been completed by Auckland Council, Auckland Transport and Eke Panuku within the past five years:
With mana whenua and other partners, the Downtown Programme team delivered a huge-scale, high-precision and complex group of six projects, including critical seismic strengthening of the century-old seawall, at one of the city’s busiest convergence points. Read about the programme’s multiple awards here.
In 2021 Eke Panuku celebrated the tenth anniversary of Wynyard Quarter, a signature milestone in the double decade-long transformation of Auckland’s waterfront. That was the beginning. Here are three significant projects the Auckland Council group opened in recent years:
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Quay Street is now a people-focused space with a clear connection to the sea. A single lane of traffic in either direction, wide footpaths, dedicated cycleways and Te Wānanga, the new public space reaching out over the water.
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Queen Street’s new layout is winning praise. It took a shift in design thinking to achieve the widened footpaths, allocated pathway for scooters and bikes, and a narrower two-lane roadway. Named after the stream which flows beneath the pavements, Waihorotiu path now occupies its own space next to the Queen Street roadway, giving riders a new square-to-square experience along flush surfaces. Cyclists and scooters move at slower speeds along the bi-directional path, leaving pedestrians to enjoy the pavement space, and faster riders to use the road.
Learn more
Queen Street – Waihorotiu path
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The much-anticipated upgrade of Myers Park is now complete, with a boardwalk, 24 new native trees, wetland garden, flood mitigation elements to collect and drain extreme rainfall, concrete detailing in the underpass, and a new stairway to Queen Street. The Auckland Council-led project set out to make Myers Park more attractive and inclusive. Learn more about the new artwork Waimahara here.
Upgrades of Queen Street, Myers Park and Federal Street (south) have all been delivered as part of the Midtown Regeneration, a programme designed to future-proof infrastructure, bring new energy to public spaces and prepare the area ahead of the opening of Te Waihorotiu Station in 2026.
Myers Park
The scale, complexity and momentum of positive change the council teams are leading in the city centre are substantial. And with GDP and employment growth in the city centre for the year to March 2023 outpacing New Zealand, the future of this 4.3square kilometre jewel is bright.
Read more here: https://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/news/2024/02/gdp-and-employment-data-shows-city-centre-outpacing-nz-for-second-year/
Photo credits:
Amey Daldy Park – Petra Leary
Westhaven Promenade – Incredible Images
Karangahape Road – LandLAB
Queen Street Waihorotiu path – Gino Deneer
