The newly constructed Supreme Court building  in Wellington has attracted international attention.

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After decades of staring at ugly industrial tanks where there should be views of the beautiful Waitemata Harbour, Aucklanders can at last see progress on the Tank Farm development.

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Rugby fans can look forward to partying in a new, temporary 'cloud' structure alongside Shed 10 on the wharf.  Long term, it's likely that a cruise ship tourist facility will be built to welcome tourists to Auckland.

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A chance to see Auckland's past in '3D' - a new exhibition courtesy of the Auckland City Council and AUT takes us back in time before the Sky Tower arrived.

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Marshall Cook's career in New Zealand architecture and urban planning is being noted by the presentation of a gold medal award from the New Zealand Institute of Architects.

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The New Zealand Planning Institute has recognised the Auckland City Council for its innovation in attracting public attention to the importance of issues of city planning.

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The best landscape architecture projects for the year have been scrutinised by judges and awards were announced at a function at Te Papa in Wellington recently.

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Imagine being out in the town centre or the city at night and still being able to see the stars - well, it's possible. New lighting project designs are ensuring pedestrians can see where they are walking at night, without blotting out the night sky.

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Public consultation isn't of itself an exciting concept - especially for young people.
But when it came to gauging public opinion on a new skate-park, it took on a whole new meaning.

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The prestigious New Zealand Architecture Medal has been won by the edgy, innovative Ironbank building in Auckland.

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A practitioner whose work stretches across urban design, planning and infrastructure talks about integrated approaches to project delivery.

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How to depict the essence of New Zealand at the Shanghai Expo? That was the task facing architects at Warren & Mahoney.

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The strikingly designed Ironbank building which overlooks Karangahape Road and a small street on the south side of K Road, has been recognised by the New Zealand Green Building Council.

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Many New Zealanders have lost all hope of buying a house as they struggle to live on the pitifully small wages delivered by our low wage economy.
Hugh Paveletich says this isn't surprising, given that housing in our major cities costs 5.7 times the annual gross household income.

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Development of  Flat Bush in Manukau City is progressing well.

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Environment Minister Nick Smith has announced the membership of two Technical Advisory Groups, appointed for what he calls the "next phase" of Resource Management Act reforms.
And the Minister has questioned whether the country is following a path that ensures "best urban design" in our cities.

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Hamilton's Southern Links project has come a step nearer with the decision to fund an investigation into providing 32kms of new roading, south of the city.

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The town of Pokeno, between Auckland and Hamilton, might be occupying a highly strategic place on the landscape.
Often thought of as just a sleepy hollow between two large cities, it could well become a succesful and sustainable residential and industrial centre. 

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A windswept walkway in Ellerslie has been made far more people-friendly by the addition of a canopy supplied by Structurflex.

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Bollards were once used solely to keep vehicles away from buildings, park areas or other open spaces.

But now they are becoming more versatile.

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Wellington's reputation for strong architecture was borne out in the 2009 Wellington Architecture Awards.

(Pictured: Victoria University Coastal Ecology Laboratory).

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The New Zealand Architecture Awards programme continues its gradual progress to the announcement of the New Zealand Architecture Medal winner in May next year.

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As some more optimistic forecasts for our economy start to filter through, Aucklanders might once again start thinking of building a house.
What chance is there for them to find reasonably priced land? Two high-profile commentators don't hold out much hope.

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Canadian lighting company gives the Auckland War Memorial Museum a new night-time livery.

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We've all seen "green shoots" indications that the recession is over, but the latest Hudson report has some strong indications from a survey of many of New Zealand's leading industry sectors.

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Corruption and shoddy urban planning are among the reasons why the results of so many natural disasters are being amplified in terms of the extent of damage and loss of life.

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Architects are looking over the fence at the urban design and development of some of our towns and cities - and they're not happy with what they're seeing.

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Owners of heritage buildings around New Zealand face numerous restrictions on economic outcomes from their re-use. Those restrictions were a focus of a recent workshop in Auckland.

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New Zealand's Institute of Landscape Architects is holding its conference at Te Papa in Wellington mid-April.

The conference aims to discuss why landscape issues are so important to New Zealanders

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Two senior urban designers from Boffa Miskell track the issue of housing affordability in New Zealand over the decades

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IAN MUNRO, senior associate, Urbanismplus Ltd expands on the effect that transport investment has on urban form

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Waitakere City settles on its attitude to the Government's plan to introduce a single council to govern the Auckland region.

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The North Shore City Council shows that it's no fan of proposals to shake up local government in Auckland. The Council has signed off its submission to the Select Committee that will be conducting hearings on the Auckland Council Bill.

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With the transition process towards a single local authority for Auckland now in place, there's been a call for caution over legal contracts with existing councils.

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Rotorua takes the recession head-on with an economic develoment fund

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Government's decision to spend $20 million on a proposed new tourist attraction for downtown Auckland has irked Kerry Prendergast, vice-president of Local Government New Zealand and the Mayor of Wellington.

She's talked of 'raised eyebrows' in Wellington over the purchase of Queen's Wharf on Auckland's waterfront.
 
However, she hasn't said what her reaction would be if the money were to be spent in Wellington.

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National-led government questioned by Greens over the rights and wrongs of building more motorways.

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Opus Architecture looks at a team approach in tackling project complexities and conflicts.It also presents two case studies on recent projects - the Newmarket Rail Station upgrade, and the Gisborne Port Redevelopment.

The article is by SIOBAHN LIDDLE architect / urban designer, Opus Architecture

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In the heart of Opotiki - the town's council has always been aware of the special demands involved in preserving heritage buildings within a town centre that needs to thrive commercially.

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Towns & Cities New Zealand will be meeting in Opotiki this year, for its AGM and seminar.

The Eastern Bay of Plenty town has a town centre regarded as one of the best surviving examples of its kind in the upper North Island.

Its council is well aware of the special issues surrounding heritage buildings and the need to have an economically thriving town centre.

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Mayor Bob Harvey says under the plan for one council for the Auckland region, Waitakere will be left "begging for scraps" from the table.

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Maurice Williamson has spoken passionately in recent times of the sheer scale of the leaky homes problem this country is facing. He's promising action.

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Reaction to the Government's reorganisation plan for Auckland's labyrinthine local government sector has been 'mixed' to say the least.

Minister of Local Government Rodney Hide on Thursday faced a group of the city's mayors, wanting changes to the plan.

They added their ire to a list of others who didn't like Government's re-hashing of the Royal Commission's report.

These included Maori, community boards, and of course many hundreds of local body staff and dozens of small contractors, who might well lose a significant part - or all - of their livelihood in the restructuring.

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The former Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment says sustainability has become a human security and survival issue.

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A few questions on why so few people are building new houses. And some answers from a grumpy Graham Hawkes

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Prime Minister John Key believes tourism will be an important factor in pulling New Zealand through the global recession,.
However, a planning ginger group believes the LGA, the RMA, and the Commerce Act are vital for enabling this country to build its way out of the financial mire.

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The collapse of housing markets around the world cannot be allowed to create another round of boom and bust, says the creator of a new New Zealand-based website. Hugh Pavletich says the current decline of the residential construction industries must be reversed and housing affordability restored.

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Controversy over leaky homes just won't go away - mainly because they are still being built, bought and sold. But if you thought recent publicity indicated that at last people are being held responsible, think again.

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Waitakere City Council is looking to help itself - and local young people wanting to become engineers and planners - by providing a number of scholarships.

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Keith Hall, CEO of the New Zealand Planning Institute, muses on what makes 'a great place' and says it is an inexact art.

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However in this article MATTHEW PAETZ, planning manager Babbage Consultants Limited, disagrees.

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It’s just as well the “Last Train to Clarksville” left the station in the 1960s (according to The Monkees pop group anyway) because there are probably no train tracks left in this Tennessee city.

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There must have been a lot of head scratching going on in Perth the day 2007 Australian of the Year Tim Flannery talked up the prospects of the city becoming a ghost town.

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As Auckland sets out to plan its ‘urban future’ – aiming to steer away from the planning mistakes of the past and set a new course – Parramatta’s council is also looking forward.

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“TravelWise- workplaces, a government-led programme that supports workplace travel plans, is already helping to keep cars off Auckland ’s roads and motorways at peak times – and shows strong potential for further growth.

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An edited version of a presentation to the Talking and Walking Sustainability international conference in Auckland last year. Author: Matthew D. Paetz, planning manager, Babbage Consultants Limited. Co-author: Knut Pinto-Delas, urban designer, Babbage Consultants Limited.

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Government looks for input on sustainable development

One of the last acts of the Labour-led Government was to release a major discussion document on encouraging sustainable development in New Zealand.

The Government asked for submissions on the document to be submitted before the end of November.

Among the reasons behind the review are the perceived barriers and difficulties to achieving sustainable development in New Zealand. It also examines how the planning process could be strengthened, and looks at the various tools used for planning.

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