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Focus area 5
Well-designed public places and spaces are an integral part of urban living. They are also important for our rural and island communities whose needs are different.
Our urban public places will play an increasingly vital role in the future as Auckland grows and intensifies.
Public places and spaces include a wide range of land that is publicly owned, and potentially available for use by everyone, such as:
Public parks are often placed near urban living, such as apartment buildings.
Given the cost of land, we will not be able to rely exclusively on acquiring new public places to meet the needs of a growing, and increasingly urbanised population.
It is therefore crucial that we:
Placemaking The collaborative and integrated process of planning, designing and building places, so that they are successful, enduring and attractive for people. plays an important role in creating high quality urban environments. It also supports our culture and identity, such as Auckland's unique Māori cultural identity, in our public places. We can also reflect and embed our unique local character in the built environment by, for example, incorporating and integrating built heritage and public art into existing and new spaces.
First, we need to shift our perception of what a public place or space ought to be.
Second, we need to adopt different approaches to the design of public places so they:
Auckland is already starting to recognise the value of turning its public places to new and multiple uses. This needs to be accelerated.
While some parts of Auckland are well served with quality public places and spaces, others are not.
Investment must therefore be specifically targeted at:
Our efforts could focus on: