Hope everyone's been keeping dry! Here's some interesting news that's caught our attention this week.
This Week in Greater Auckland
On Monday Connor did a deep dive on NZTA's self-conflicting decisions for the SH16 Brigham to Waimauku project.
Wednesday Matt take a look at the Transport Plans for Downtown West.
On Thursday Tim Adriaansen asked what really needs fixing at Auckland Transport.
This post, like all our work, is brought to you by the Greater Auckland crew and made possible by generous donations from our readers and fans. If you’d like to support our work, you can join our circle of supporters here, or support us on Substack!
The magic of through-running (ie what CRL will do in Auckland)
If you want to know what CRL will bring to Auckland's passenger rail network, check out this piece by Benedict Springbett which explores how adding through running to cities like Munich and London, transformed their legacy transport lines into modern metro networks.
One of the Holy Grails of transport policy has thus been a way to turn these legacy lines into something like a modern metro system. The solution developed by many transit authorities is known as through running. This means taking suburban lines on opposite sides of the city, and joining them up by running trains through the city center, usually in a tunnel. This tunnel does not necessarily have to be very long: in some cities, only a handful of kilometers is needed, because the rest of the infrastructure (the legacy lines that are joined together by the tunnel) is already there. For the price of a comparatively small section of tunnel, a large number of suburbs can get metro-like service directly into the city center.
Through running has convergently evolved in many places. This article looks at two of them, Munich and London. Munich is distinctive in having used through running to create what is probably the best transit network on earth, relative to the size of the city. London is distinctive in the sheer size of its legacy network, due to its enormous size in the nineteenth century. This means that through running has offered it opportunities of unique scale and complexity.
How more 'less structured' play space in cities, is better for kids’ creativity
New research explores how more freedom for creativity in cities doesn't come from playgrounds "built for safety", but through self-organising 'open play' spaces. Comparing Venice and Auckland, Jose Antonio Lara-Hernandez from the University of Auckland and Gregor Mews from the University of the Sunshine Coast finds that other cities can learn:
From our research, we can draw lessons for how urban spaces might be reimagined to better support children’s wellbeing and autonomy. This includes:
Designing public spaces with natural elements, “risky art”, loose parts and creative equipment for open-ended play that balances safety without compromising opportunities for discovery and risk-taking
reducing the number of cars and slowing speeds to achieve better outcomes for children
reclaiming streets so that all people and animals can have positive adventures
prioritising policies for car-free or traffic-calmed areas across neighbourhoods and in proximity to social places (schools, libraries, shops, parks) to contribute to a culture where safety is a collective responsibility and a commitment towards a stronger social cohesion
proactively involving children in urban design through place-making and temporary appropriation; it is their right to be heard and listened to through the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
encouraging participatory co-design workshops and action-focused initiatives to harness children’s insights to design spaces that meet needs
considering nuanced and emotional indicators for success such as belonging, curiosity, joy and inter-generational exchange rather than just efficiency or maintenance cost
and collaboratively modifying the environment over time.
Unsafe speeds kick in… just in time for the school holidays
The 1 July deadline embedded in Simeon Brown’s Speed Rule landed this week, in the first week of the school holidays. The reversal of safe speeds in neighbourhoods is pretty cruel timing for would-be free-range kids, as noted by this media release from Brake, the road safety charity, and an alliance of road safety experts:
Just as the school holidays get under way, children around the country will be at higher risk on streets in their neighbourhoods as the Setting of Speed Limits Rule (the Rule) introduced by Minister Simeon Brown and implemented by current Minister of Transport Chris Bishop requires councils to revert to dangerous higher speed limits from 1 July, with variable speeds in place only at school gates at the start and end of the school day.
“Children across the country are at risk from higher speeds when they’re walking, biking or scooting around their neighbourhoods. If hit by a vehicle going 50km/h, children have an 80% higher likelihood of being killed or seriously injured than at 30km/h.”
…
The higher speeds kick in on 1 July, during the school holidays, and the reality of central government overriding evidence and local preference is only just becoming clear to many communities.
What can councils do about rising temperatures in NZ cities?
Timothy Welch in The Conversation looks at rising temperatures and extreme heatwaves we are seeing more often around the world, including New Zealand, due to climate change - and looks at what we can do differently. He sees that there are five things councils can do:
Summer is six months away – maybe not enough time to do all the work needed, but certainly enough to get a plan in place. Here are five things councils could do.
Plant trees now: winter is planting season. Focus on car parks and heat-vulnerable neighbourhoods. Use fast-growing natives and protective rings to ensure survival. Trees planted now will provide shade by December.
Install modular planters: test cooling locations with movable infrastructure before committing to permanent changes. Order now for spring placement when residents can see the benefits.
Schedule paving replacements: when resurfacing is needed, switch to permeable options and get heat-reducing surfaces in place before summer.
Design shade structures: plan and budget pop-up shade for the hottest areas. Having designs ready means quick installation when temperatures spike.
Organise spring planting days: line up community groups now, source trees through winter nursery contracts, and hit the ground running in September. Small investments in coordination yield big cooling dividends.
The City Centre: good enough to renew a 25-year retail lease
The Crane Brothers menswear retailer renewed a 25 year lease on High Street recently. Turns out the demise of the City Centre are overstated, as the Herald reports owner Murray Crane says:
Crane said a lot had changed since the store opened, from how people shopped to how the city functioned.
“But the essence of what we do remains the same. We’ve always focused on quality, craft, and care.
“The way we deliver that has evolved; we’ve embraced technology and digital integration, but the fundamentals haven’t shifted.
“We still vacuum and polish the brass every morning, clean the windows every week. That consistency, that discipline, is part of our rhythm.”
Crane said the business was tracking on par with the last financial year, but importantly it was seeing same-store growth despite the addition of a second Auckland location in Ponsonby.
The business’ online sales also continued to trend upwards.
He said that while high rent and land-use challenges persist at the Ponsonby location, there was a genuine appetite for experiential, local retail.
“I believe both areas are contributing to the wider recovery of retail in Auckland in their own way. I wouldn’t compare the two directly – they’re different environments, and both serve a purpose.
“What’s more important is recognising that strong retail can take many forms.”
Crane had been outspoken on the reasons behind retail stores like Smith & Caughey's closing, and the article reports him saying:
Crane still backs that critique today, arguing that the core message he was trying to convey is that while things like construction and city disruption are real, they shouldn’t be the only story.
“We need to shift the narrative and focus on what’s working – not just what’s hard. Running a business like ours has never been easy.
“We chose to sell designer menswear in one of the smallest, most challenging markets in the world. We face adversity daily.
“That reality has shaped who we are – we’re focused, agile, and used to making things work under pressure.
“It’s part of our culture, and I think it’s one of the reasons we’re still here. We’ve stayed close to our customers, adapted quickly, and continued to invest in the places and people we believe in.”
A whoooole lot of videos
Business Insider chatted with Dan Gardner one of the coauthors of "How Big Things Get Done", which George Weeks reviewed in a guest post last year.
Streetfilms had a look at Church Street in London, which recently removed traffic to create a walking, cycling, and transit street:
Jesse Mulligan and Simon Wilson chatted about speed limits and road safety.
Redesigning Disney World to be 'better' for cars
Great Western Railways battery train out of testing!
Match made in heaven for this discovery by a rail engineer!
New York City sees lowest road toll since 2018
2025 has seen only 87 traffic deaths in New York City - the lowest since 2018, as the New York Times explains:
City officials attribute the declines so far this year to programs begun under the Vision Zero initiative, including adding protected bike lanes, redesigning intersections and lowering maximum speeds on e-bikes to 18 miles per hour. Last month the city slowed e-bikes down a bit more, to 15 m.p.h.
But 2025 comes with an asterisk. Sarah Kaufman, the director of the Rudin Center for Transportation at New York University, noted that congestion pricing in Manhattan, a program managed by the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority, had reduced vehicle traffic in the zone where drivers have been charged $9 since early January. “Along with less traffic comes fewer accidents and less road rage,” she said. “If you’re angry behind the wheel, you’ll make rash decisions that could hurt pedestrians.”
Miki Rapu Waiata: Taonga
Check out this installation and experience in Te Komititanga Square:
An eye-catching installation in Te Komititanga Plaza will alert passersby to Miki Rapu Waiata: Taonga, an app-based audio experience audiences can choose to do at any time.
From this starting point, download the locally developed PickPath app and be taken on a journey to significant points around the waterfront, where you will uncover hidden tracks, including archival recordings of well-known waiata Māori provided by Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision and new covers with a contemporary twist.
The covers honour the archival pieces of history and give them a modern perspective, showing the relevance of their message in this era.
2022 research on e-bikes, e-scooters, and young people
Improving safety when young people ride e-scooters and e-bikes compiles the evidence around injuries and fatalities for children and young people resulting from e-scooters and e-bikes, risk factors, and how Queensland’s road rules and laws surrounding their use compares to other jurisdictions.
Horizons Regional Council fully funding public transport improvements
Despite central governments failure to provide funding for co-investment, overwhelming public support in consultation has led Horizons Regional Council to fund public transport improvements.
About 57% of submitters preferred the option of three high-frequency routes and two hourly routes.
This would mean three routes similar to Te Ngaru The Tide operating across the city every 20 minutes and two routes running hourly, extending further into Aramoho.
The improved service would replace existing school routes because of increased connectivity across the city.
Whanganui District Council’s representative on Horizons’ passenger transport committee, Anthonie Tonnon, said the responses were pleasing.
“Seeing that kind of response come through has been fantastic and it has been great to see such a great design go through to our timetable as well,” he said.
Also in Whanganui: a creative town with affordable homes
Via Stuff, an article on "The artsy town where renting is ‘tricky’, and first home dreams come true":
Cheap house prices brought an influx of new residents to Whanganui over the past decade, and now visitors are picking up on the city’s appeal.
Singer Stan Walker calls it home, as does musician Anthonie Tonnon, who runs the 103-year-old Durie Hill Elevator, New Zealand's only public transport elevator.
In 2021, Whanganui became the country’s only UNESCO City of Design, recognising its contributions to art and creativity through the years.
Now, there’s a growing buzz about it generally, said artist Lorene Taurerewa. She returned to her home town from Brooklyn, New York, in 2020, during the Covid epidemic.
Wanting to be part of the city’s blossoming vibrancy, Taurerewa opened Ann Parker Gallery in the centre of the arts hub last August.
“It really is something else. People come into the gallery and they’e amazed how wonderful everything is here. It’s a destination.”
From the socials
That's it for us this week, have a great weekend!