Shanmugam Kangatharan
Water transport
urbanism in Auckland
Research questions
1) How transport
infrastructure will effect/determine the future growth of Auckland?
2) How can Auckland
become the least congested city through enhancement/improvement of water
transport infrastructure?
Transport
infrastructure networks play a vital role in urban growth. Due to this reason,
from the 1840’s, the transport network and roads have decided the urban growth
of Auckland (Auckland Council, 2012).
Auckland is the
biggest and fastest growing city in New Zealand. The major controversies of
Auckland, however, are poor transport networks and traffic congestion. This is
why Auckland is currently placed as 10th most liveable city in the
world by The Economist Intelligence Unit. Auckland only scored 92.7 points for
infrastructure while it was scoring 100 points for education, 95.7 points for
healthcare, 97 points for culture and environment (Ryan, 2014).
Auckland is also
surrounded by water and according to Toy (1977) water is a great asset for
urban development. Auckland Transport (2013) indicates that it is necessary to
rethink the future of Auckland’s ferry services. In particular, the fare
structure and ownership of ferry services. It is undeniable that current water
transport facilities of Auckland are insufficient. At the same time other
public transport networks including bus and train also have poor linkages in
peri-urban areas.
Transport
infrastructure can also be studied as a network consisting of nodes and edges.
Different types of transport can be represented as different networks with
specific properties.
Thus, the aim of this
project to enhance the development of the Auckland transport network through
further development of water transport with Browns Bay as case study. It means,
add more nodes by designing ferry terminals to connect existing transport nodes
by new edges. Moreover, finding suitable ferry terminal location for selected
site, through appropriate analysis is also part of this project.
The project will take
into consideration of stakeholders’ current and proposed plans and policies as
well as contemporary ideas, concepts and theories that are concerned with the
relationships between urban growth and transport infrastructure, and that study
of infrastructure is based on network viewpoints.
Gemma Gao
How can
urban parks be designed so they can act as evacuation places in case of volcano
eruption in Auckland?
Abstract:
Auckland is
a city built on more than 50 volcanoes. According to Auckland Civil Defence and
Emergency Management Group Plan (2011), it is considered as a likely event and
very high risks. Auckland Council offers comprehensive illustrations and
related suggestions of various natural disaster, maps of tsunami evacuation
zones and functions of regional parks could be use response to natural
disasters. However, the evacuation routes and safe area for sheltering are not
specified. More importantly, volcanoes eruption could result in other kinds of
natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunami in historical cases and the
growing population could be additional risks. Thus there is a need to analyze
problems referred. This research is aimed to design a model of multifunctional
park that can serve as an evacuation zone or part evacuation route in case of
natural disasters like volcanoes and related disasters like tsunami and
earthquake. The findings of the research could also be applied to other places
that have high disaster risks. The concept of multifunctional park is to
fulfill the roles that the open space in both of emergency program and general
program, to make city more resilient and prepared for the natural disasters. In
this research, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is technique support for
site identification. Two parts consisted in the method: (1) finding out public
open spaces suitable for natural disaster evacuation in Auckland Region and (2)
developing a design strategy for one of these spaces in order to increase their
capacity and appropriateness for evacuation.
Shoujun
Chen
How can we
create a model for the radical transformation of an industrial food system into
a locally-based, sustainable model in peri-urban areas, Auckland?
Peri-urban
agriculture is the production units close to town, which operate intensive
semi- or fully commercial farms to grow vegetable and other commercial crop.
Today the industrial food system in Auckland has to meet the pressure from
climate change and urban sprawl. Auckland Council report has found that nearly
10 percent (8.3%) of the best quality land has been converted from
food-producing land to urban developments in recent times. Soil erosion,
subdivision, water depletion and pollution have brought a growing public
awareness of the social, environmental economic impacts of industrial
agriculture. On the other hand, peri-urban agriculture has its unique
competitiveness due to its closeness to food and labor market. Farm markets
have emerged as an alternative option for distribution and retailing, which
leads to the increasing demand for small scale farming land in peri-urban
areas.
The design
based on permaculture theory, green belt and agrarian urbanism, through
transforming agricultural land and residential area in peri-urban areas to a
farming-centered residential areas. The purpose of this research is to find out
the way to build a sustainable agricultural system in peri-urban areas.
Kevin Zhu
How can we design a
GIS based tool to objectively evaluate Auckland brownfield redevelopment sites?
Auckland urbanisation
Housing plays a major
role in a growing city, as it needs to find ways to accommodate its growing
population. During a period of 30 years, the population of Auckland increased
from 0.87 million to 1.44 million; dwellings increased from 289,000 to 500,000;(Census,
1996, 2013) built-up area expanded from 40,000 to 55,000 hectares(LRIS,
2012). The
new urban/rural boundary proposed by the Auckland Unitary Plan encapsulated
72,000 hectares of land for urban development(Koordinates,
2013). This expanded urban settlement that’s uses
almost 20000 hectares of productive land is called Greenfield development.
Research Objectives:
- Assess brownfield sites in Auckland and set a ranking for its
potential for redevelopment.
- Rate a potential site and identify its redevelopment opportunities
and obstacles.
Quin Luo
Abstract:
Coastal erosion is a natural and ongoing process but it is commonly regarded as
a problem when threatening human habitation or development (Auckland Council,
2015). According to Auckland Regional Council (2006), “Almost the entire length
of the Auckland coastline is susceptible to coastal erosion, although the
extent and level of risk vary”( p.1). When acceleration of coastal erosion
happens, it will result in the loss of land and cause shorelines retreating
closer to other buildings, posing a risk to shoreline buildings,
infrastructures (roads, water, sewage and gas pipes) and coastal citizens’ life
securities in Auckland (Auckland Council, 2015). After giving a general
introduction about the drawbacks of engineering methods which are common used
in Auckland, in this research, I will attempt to find a solution through
landscape architecture to protect the coastal citizens’ properties, public
infrastructures and natural reserves. I will focus on the beach erosion in
Auckland. My research question is “How can erosion prone areas be designed so
they provide opportunities for the urban sustainable development that works
with coastal erosion?” The study will be developed under the basis of
Ecological Urbanism and considered as a practice in order to answer my research
question. Excellent techniques and case studies which are relevant will be
studied in order to achieve the final goal in my research.
Xinxin Wang
Preserving a green network for a regional
city
As one of the most livable cities in the
world, Auckland has a unique urban-nature relationship and high quality
lifestyles. However, the increasing urban growth is threatening the green space
that Aucklanders value so much. To dress these challenges, there is a need to
discuss Auckland future development as a regional conurbation from Whangarei to
Hamilton and Tauranga.
This research project aims to preserve a
green network to maintain the sustainable urban development and retain the
unique lifestyle for New Zealand’s largest regional city. Research area covers
the entire Auckland, part of Northland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty, particularly
focus on the linear shape along state highway number one.
Research methods include environmental
criteria and social criteria. Regional Auckland and Puhoi are used as case
studies to apply this approach. First, environmental criteria are established
through the analysis of existing green space and potential green space in
regional Auckland. By combining all the conditions together, six possible green
belts are identified as buffers between urban developments. Second, Puhoi is
used to show how environmental criteria can be used in a local scale. After
identifying the green network around Puhoi, social criteria which established
from a Remuera study is used to measure Puhoi’s future urban structure.
The research results show that green
network could not only offer the growing population a new regional park system,
it could also provide Auckland a resilient regional urban structure and enhance
the high quality lifestyle for its citizens.
Xu Gao
Coastal
Cities
How can we
develop coastal line as a part of urban area for future and can we develop
coastal line with tourism as well? The idea is about coastal cities development
through tourism ways, and also protect local resident’s lifestyle. As one
can see, Auckland is the world famous city, and the city’s 70% area consist by
coastal waters. Obviously, from the geographical features shows that Auckland
belongs to a coastal city, and have many of coastal resources, nevertheless
most of Auckland’s coastline is still in undeveloped state, some beach even
appeared natural erosion or man-made pollution. However, the most coastal
cities in the world always development this region as a regional priority,
perhaps because of economic factors, as well as, because of environmental factors.
As a coastal city, Auckland in this area have great potential for development,
whether it is from the perspective of urban development or ecological
protection or basic services for the residents. Then, form the other side, with
the Auckland rapid development of urbanization, land has become the main reason
for limiting the future development of Auckland, but for New Zealand as an
island country, coastline is the most abundant resource, which may also be able
to Auckland’s future development towards providing a valuable reference.
Moreover, for coastal development, both in the construction of infrastructure
and transportation should be relatively easier than construction in inland
area.
In
addition, as the largest city in New Zealand, Auckland has been the role of
tourism as a transit point, so if we can keep these potential economic
resources as a driving force of urban development, coastal development may be
able to play a great help.
This
project will base on those questions and find the way to deal with it, through
the concept of eco-tourism and eco-design, which is environmentally and
friendly idea for landscape architecture technology practice. However, to scan
this topic should be including aesthetics, recreation, leisure, early
investigation of sociological and ecological features, involvement of coastal
shareholder, local population in the planning process, exactly of site
selection and environmentally design.
Qian Wang
Children’s
environments
School
ground greening has their potential benefits for enhancing children’s
close-knit relationship with nature, which this project will test with an
educational approach involving landscape architects commitment regarding their
education and enhance the health of local social and natural environments. Rationales
for school gardens currently focusing on the issues that nowadays children and
young people’ all round circumstance, for example, a lack of physical activity,
obesity, inflexible educational systems, and a lack of interactive relationship
with nature. By collaborating with certain school (including students), whether
these schools provide this chance to their students, among other benefits,
develop long term greenery plans.
Yet there
are many school gardens are limited both in their scope and children’s
participation, especially in their planning and design. Thus, combining these
partnerships between schools and their community can lead to a diverse school
gardens that contribute to sustainability education and promote biodiversity.
And it might be possible to reshape their learning experiences to improve the
professional performance of children; furthermore there will be an
encouragement of the well-being of all participants event for the places.
Shayne
Noronha
Rising
Tides and the Future of New Zealand’s Coastal Communities
Climate
change will tremendously influence the design of landscapes and urban areas
before the close of the 21st Century. Studies suggest a rise in global
temperatures between 0.9°C to 5.4°C, and a rising sea level upward of 1m. Yet a
more substantive threat remains in the unknown intensity and frequency of
future storm events. While designers are now aware of these projections, and
certainly familiar with the significant value of coastal development in New
Zealand, present-day mitigation techniques still exclude broader social,
environmental and economic values of coastal communities in preference for
engineering efficiency. (Jabareen, 2012). Landscape design strategies can add
value to engineering approaches in urban and coastal ecosystems by including
'coastal resilience' as part of the mitigation outcome strategy. Landscape
architects can lead collaborative work at coastal edges and provide
opportunities for resilient urban development.
Riyasp
Bhandari
The Urban
Edge:
Using the
sustainability framework to develop social spaces on urban waterfronts.
The human
domestication of landscape and environment has remained a prominent area of
urban and environmental discourse over the past century. Contemporary urban
waterfronts reflect and constitute changes in urban ecology, economic
regulation and societal issues under the influence of coastal cities (Bunce
& Desfor, 2007). The urban sustainability framework articulates the
relationship between humans and the environment and needs to remain at the
heart of urban discourse. This project explores the positive and negative
impacts on Auckland’s waterfront, further understanding the values of cultural
shifts, trade, productivity, transportation, social cohesion and ecology in the
urban realm. This project will comparatively critique, analyse and assess urban
waterfronts, through a set of criteria drawn from literature relating to
sustainable cities. The scope of Auckland’s waterfront can be re-imagined
through design ingenuity to support a sustainability framework that aims to
further enrich natural systems in relation to enhancing human well-being (Wu,
2014).
Zara Jawadi
TBA
Shasha Li
(Nemo)
Physical
Activity Accessible Traffic Network in Auckland
In the 21st
century, chronic diseases are the most significant cause of mortality around
world, accounting for 60-percent of all deaths (World Health Organization,
2015). Being overweight or obese has been a major factor in a number of chronic
diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. According to
the 2012-2013 New Zealand Health Survey (Ministry of Health, 2013),
approximately 31% of adults, and 11% of children are obese, and a further 22%
of children are considered overweight. The New York City Department of Health
and Mental Hygiene (Joel, Denise & Ian, 2014) reported that landscape
architecture design that aimed to improved bike and pedestrian networks and
focus on mixed-use development could increase leisure-time activity and weight
loss simply by increasing accessibility to physical activities, walking trails,
playgrounds and parks. A successful application of this is the design of
Burnaby’s off-street bicycle network, which permitted bicyclists to utilitse
both sides of the street, and therefore easily access a wide range of parklands
and central city spaces. While the conditions in Auckland are different than in
Burnaby, there are lessons to be drawn from Bunaby’s success. The present study
focuses on improving Auckland’s bicycle and pedestrain networks, through an
analyse of Auckland’s urban landscape features and urban traffic network, to
find opportunities to better connect Auckland’s open spaces.
Rithy Heng
This research project investigates
strategies for the remediation of a brownfield site in Phnom Penh in Cambodia.
The overarching strategy is collaboration, phased over time, between the
Government, developers and the community to deliver environmental, ecological
and social benefits. A variety of landscape mitigation techniques have been
explored and proposed to help achieve these outcomes. A key aspect is the
premise that greenery and water can act as catalysts to boost environmental
remediation, social inclusiveness and real estate value.
The site, which is located in a
Southwestern suburb of Phnom Penh is comprised of three distinct zones: a
disused landfill, polluted lake, and a partly occupied plot between them. The
phased aspect of the project includes a range of programmes which ebb and flow
between the zones for an anticipated period of 15 to 20 years.
On-site observation, techniques learnt from
relevant precedents/theory, and social considerations were used as groundwork
to identify, develop and refine strategies. Strategies that it is hoped
represent a flagship for beginning to address problems in Phnom Penh - there is
the potential to raise public awareness regarding the ramifications of current
development patterns whilst showcasing a viable and responsible alternative.
Sandra Arnett
TBA
Junjie Xu
How can
landscape ecology assist in achieving sustainable outcomes for the brownfield
development?
With the
rapid development of the city and the increase of population, the area of the
city is increasingly expanding and sprawling. However, the existing problems of
brownfield site have seriously restricted the construction and progress of the
city. The issue of how to effectively and efficiently redevelop and transform
brownfield sites is increasingly being considered by agencies and a wide range
of professionals throughout the world.
The
definition of brownfield site is vital for development of a city or a region in
different contexts. It can help to inform the direction of research, explore
the development potential of site and deal with relevant urban issues.
Landscape
is an effective approach to coordinate ecosystem on brownfield site to
facilitate sustainable development for enhancing the relationship between human
and nature. It is a good way to deal with a variety of social contradictions as
well.
The
objective of this research project is to enhance the connection between humans
and nature. A series of theories and methods will be researched and analysed to
improve the value of brownfield site, return more public spaces for local
residents. Meanwhile, people’s requirements and Auckland council’s plans will
be considered in this project. A sort of analyses have been processing on the
test site. This will be effective to find out the most suitable approach to
explore all of the possibilities of development. All of the processes will be
helpful to develop the most rational project, even to help to achieve the goal
of the world’s liveable city.
Komal Bhatt
Cemeteries
as ‘Healing’ Landscapes
How can a
Cemetery function as a place of ‘Healing’ for the many cultural groups in
Auckland?
Cemeteries
play a vital role in all cities not only as a space for the dead to be placed,
but also for the living to visit and remember their loved ones. Can cemetery
landscapes act as a means of healing in the grief process? The loss of a loved
one causes sorrow, grief, and mourning, shock and pain – a most difficult and
lonely phase of one’s life.
People
visit cemeteries to remember, pay homage and revitalize old memories in
connection with the dead. Due to globalization, multiculturalism has brought
with it a mix of death customs and traditions of mourning that play a pivotal
role in the healing process from grief.
Cultural
and religious groups from around the world have different beliefs about death
and the afterlife. In India, particularly Hindus cremate the dead by burning
the body at a very high temperature and the cremated remains are immersed in
the holy river Ganga. As the dead are not buried there are no cemeteries which
can serve as reminders and touchstones for the living to remember people and events.
This motivated me to think about relation between man and environment which can
be established through the means of landscaping.
The purpose
of this research proposal is to gain an understanding the death rituals of
various cultural groups and accordingly developing strategies and designing a
cemetery that can act as a healing space. The psychological behavior on losing
a loved one can vary dramatically from person to person and the duration of
grieving process can also range dramatically. A study needs to be conducted
that will define ecological and social design objectives which emphatically
will reflect values from different cultures for development of cemeteries.
With the
pace of urbanization, green field sites and even for that matter existing cemeteries
are destroyed or re-located. This shows what kind of importance or respect we
give the dead. The development of a cemetery will also create an open space and
green graveyard adding to the ecological diversity and natural habitat of the
area. With a focus on diverse mourning practices, the guidelines will
incorporate therapeutic goals and suggest ecological solutions which will
address the negative impacts of death on environment.
