Tag: Urban design

Ideas Wanted for Aotea Quarter

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What do you think the centre of the City Centre should have

From Auckland Council:

Share ideas to make Aotea Quarter a hub for all Auckland

All Aucklanders are invited to share their ideas for re-shaping the Aotea Quarter into the city’s arts, culture, and entertainment hub.

Public consultation on the Aotea Quarter Framework opens 9 September (today) and runs until 22 October.

The consultation will feature an information desk in the Aotea Centre, focus groups and public walking tours guided by planning experts explaining potential major improvements for the area around Aotea Square.

The vision is to use under-developed council sites to add to other recent upgrades in the area including the Aotea Square, Q Theatre, Lorne Street, Bledisloe Lane, Khartoum Place and the Auckland Art Gallery.

Potential sites include the Civic Administration Building, Town Hall south car park and Aotea Centre surrounds.

Eventually, the Aotea Station, as part of the City Rail Link, will deliver people to the quarter’s door step, transforming travel links to the city centre.

“There are huge opportunities for the area to really lift its game and become the cultural and entertainment hub for all Auckland,” says Councillor Chris Darby, council’s political urban design champion.

For more information and to give feedback, go to shapeauckland.co.nz.

Public ideas will help inform the future direction of the quarter and the council’s decision-making.

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You have until 22 October to give feedback. Also remember that Aotea Quarter will house the nearby Aotea City Rail Link station which will be the number one station on the rail network in terms of patronage.

Public to Get Their Say on Aotea Quarter

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Committee Approves Plan to head to wider public consultation

After the near shock of Councillor Mike Lee just about resigning on the spot (yes things got testy today) the Auckland Development Committee resolved to send out to the public for consultation the development plans for Aotea Quarter.

From Auckland Council:

Opportunities abound for future of Aotea Quarter

Aucklanders will be asked to help shape a new framework to evolve the area around Aotea Square into a thriving cultural hub, servicing the whole of Auckland.

The Auckland Development Committee today approved a consultation paper on the ‘Aotea Quarter Framework’, which will go out for public feedback in September and October.

Committee deputy chair and political design champion Chris Darby says: “Many great things are already happening in the quarter, including laneways, events and upgrades to Myers Park. When the new Aotea Station is created – along with the City Rail Link and bus improvements – this area will become very well connected: north, south, east and west.

“This is going to create huge opportunities for the area to really lift its game and become the cultural and entertainment hub for all Auckland,” Councillor Darby says.

The consultation programme is set to include public walking tours, focus groups and opportunities to have your say online at Shape Auckland. Questions will include how the quarter can better fulfil its region-wide role, how to get more families living in the area, which parts need to be made safer or better for pedestrians and how some of the sites around the area could be better used.

While the consultation is underway, in the first week of September the council will also be putting a call out to developers who want to express an interest in the Civic Administration Building, which has now been vacated by council staff.

The council has agreed a number of requirements for the Expression of Interest (EOI) process, including restoring the building’s heritage values, sustainable design and recognising Te Aranga Maori design principles.

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Consultation is due to start next month.