Turning a freeway into a magnificent boulevard

Christchurch's city councillors have concluded their tour of California. It would have been great if Len and his troupe of councillors could have joined them, instead of hanging out in the town hall, scrapping about plastic wakas and unrealistic rail tunnels. Auckland could learn a great deal from San Francisco. It is a global city that we should aspire to.

San Francisco, California
Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2010)

The 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake caused widespread damage to San Francisco, and sadly, claimed many lives. Just take a look at the NBC clip below:

But it also had a silver lining.

Prior to this event, San Francisco had a hideous, double-decker freeway along its waterfront. The first section of this freeway was opened in 1959, originally meaning to be part of America's great interstate system. The entire freeway was proposed to stretch to the Golden Gate Bridge, but was never completed.

San Francisco Bay, California.
Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2010).

San Franciscans hated this freeway from the very beginning. It cut the city off from its idyllic, picturesque waterfront, and one of its finest structures, the Ferry Building.

Birds eye view of the Embarcadero Freeway. Note how it acts as a barrier, separating the ferry building and waterfront from the city.
Congress for New Urbanism (1997-2011)

Street level view of the Embarcadero Freeway
Congress for New Urbanism (1997-2011)

Embarcadero Freeway
Berkeley University (1991)

The citizens of San Francisco tried unsuccessfully for years to get this freeway demolished, when finally, in 1989, mother nature answered their prayers.

The freeway was heavily damaged by the Loma Prieta Earthquake. The price tag to replace it was in the vicinity of U.S$65,000 (Congress for New Urbanism, 1997-2011). So, the authorities opted to build a multi-laned boulevard instead (Congress for New Urbanism, 1997-2011).

And what a job they did.

These are some pictures of The Embarcadero in San Francisco:

Trams on The Embarcadero
Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2010)

Wide sidewalks on The Embarcadero
Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2010)

San Francisco Ferry Building on The Embarcadero
Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2010)

Open Space and The Embarcadero Centre, from The Embarcadero
Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2010)

The Embarcadero by night.
Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2010).

Restored port buildings on The Embarcadero
Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2010)

As you can see from the pictures, The Embarcadero even has trams. The stunning San Francisco Ferry Building has been restored to its former glory. It now houses a food market, and several restaurants.

The Embarcadero economically revitalised the waterfront and reconnected it with the city. Former derelict port buildings have been given new life. The San Francisco waterfront is now a major destination for both tourists and locals alike.

Auckland's Quay Street should be like this. Currently, it has an industrial heap (the port) on one side, and ugly office towers on the other.

Imagine what Auckland could become if we made this into our premier boulevard. It shouldn't take an earthquake for Auckland to get its act together.

Information about, and first two images of the Embarcadero Freeway: CONGRESS FOR NEW URBANISM. 1997-2011. San Francisco's Embarcadero [Online]. Available: http://www.cnu.org/highways/sfembarcadero [Accessed 01/06/2011].


Last image of the Embarcadero Freeway: BERKELEY UNIVERSITY. 1991. Embarcadero Freeway [Online]. Available: http://geoimages.berkeley.edu/GeoImages/BainCalif/Cal400/embfwy.html [Accessed 01/06/2011].

All aboard the High Line

What should a city do with an abandoned railway line? Turn it into a park of course!

A former elevated, freight railway line, in the western site of Manhattan, New York City, was transformed into an dynamic park. Prior to its transformation, it was simply an ugly, abandoned piece of infrastructure. Now, it has completely revitalised its surrounding neighbourhood, and given something for all New Yorkers to be proud of.

Check out the amazing video below (its a must see):

Inspirationally, this project was begun by the community, through a grassroots effort.

Imagine transforming some of Auckland's unappealing infrastructure into vibrant, sought after parks. This could be done to the Victoria Park Viaduct, once the motorway has finally been placed underground. It could have also been done to the Newmarket Viaduct.

We could even transform our existing railway lines into parks. Walking, jogging and cycling might all be faster than the speeds our ancient trains rattle along at.

Food for thought.

Information about the 'High Line' was obtained from the video. The video was found on You Tube, and is property of TIME Inc.

Who knew a parking building could be artistic?

Parking buildings are ugly. There really is no other way to describe them.

Unfortunately, in our car-based cities, they serve a vital role. It would be nice if they could all be underground, but this is probably not financially realistic.

So, why not turn these eyesores into assets?

That's what the Adelaide City Council have done. Its called the Rundle Lantern.

Take a look at the picture below:

Rundle Lantern, Adelaide

Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2009)

Believe it, or not, this is a parking building. It is situated on one of Adelaide city's most prominent corners. The Adelaide City Council covered it in 748 LED panels, and now displays a spectacular light show on it every night (ACC, 2011).

Check it out on the video below:


The Rundle Lantern, Adelaide from Martin Whipp on Vimeo.


While covering up a hideous car park, the Rundle Lantern has also re-energised this part of the city. It is now a place where people 'hang out' to watch the light show.

We should do this to parking buildings in Auckland. Like Adelaide, we could breathe life back into some of the most undesirable parts of the city centre.

ADELAIDE CITY COUNCIL [ACC]. 2011. Rundle Lantern [Online]. Available: http://www.cityofadelaide.com.au/attractions/rundle-lantern.html [Accessed 30/05/2011].

Lessons from Santa Cruz

In the past week, Christchurch City Councillors have been visiting cities and towns in California that were badly damaged by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. They've been looking for ideas on how to rebuild their city.

One News, on Saturday night (21/05/2011), showed the councillors visiting Santa Cruz, California.

Santa Cruz is a city of 56,925 people (Lonely Planet 2010). It is situated on the Californian coast, approximately 100 km south of San Francisco. It has been known as a bit of a hippy town in its past. It is, in fact, so liberal, that according to Lonely Planet, Republicans are shot on the street (Lonely Planet, 2010). I guess George Bush isn't a frequent visitor then.

Downtown Santa Cruz, California.
Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2010)

It was heavily damaged during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, but subsequently rebuilt, not to be the same, but better. Take a look at the clip from the news below:

This offers great tips, not only for Christchurch, but also for Auckland. The people of Santa Cruz created a city they could be proud of. It was rebuilt properly, and the benefits have paid off.

Tree-lined streets, wide footpaths, and fantastic architecture are three features that make Santa Cruz the amazing town that it is. It is also extremely clean. The citizens seem to have a lot of pride in its appearance. It almost looks and feels like Sea Haven -  the town in the 1998 film The Truman Show.

Today, Santa Cruz is a picturesque, charming city. It is impossible to tell that much of it was rebuilt during the 1990s; the new seamlessly fits in with the old.

Here are some snaps of the city of Santa Cruz:

Santa Cruz, California.
Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2010)

The building in the left of the picture is the one they show being constructed after the 1989 earthquake, in the news clip. Yet, it looks like it could have been in the town since its foundation. Instead of destroying the town with ugly, modernist architecture, Santa Cruz chose to celebrate its heritage.

Santa Cruz, California.
Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2010)

Santa Cruz, California.
Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2010)

The city still even has a traditional old post office:

United States Post Office, Santa Cruz, California.
Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2010)

Auckland Council should send some councillors to visit this city too (preferably the sane ones). This is how you build a solid, quality city.


LONELY PLANET. 2010. Coastal California, Melbourne, Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd.

Giving a city an edge - New York Style

This is the television commercial for New York City. It depicts the city through the eyes of a family. Take a look below:


nyc tourism THE RIDE from craig smith on Vimeo.

The advertisement makes New York look exciting. It shows off different aspects of the city that can appeal to people of all ages. Auckland needs to have a dynamic TV ad too.

Auckland's current 'Big Little City' commercial shows our city, in the dark, with an old man on a bicycle riding through it. Not very appealing. Take a look:


Auckland's BIG Little City from Tourism Auckland on Vimeo.

Okay, so the city might have a few designer boutiques and fancy food houses. But does that really appeal to a wide range of people, other than Auckland's liberal elite population? Is it going to make children beg their parents to take them to Auckland?

Probably not.

We need to promote things that are distinctively Auckland. Most western cites probably do have fancy stores and eateries. Unless the potential tourist is from Hamilton, where McDonald's would be considered sophisticated, would it bother coming to Auckland to buy and eat what it could in its home city?

A commercial for Auckland should feature our harbour, our sails, our icons, and our natural beauty. These, after all, are what make Auckland unique.

What do you think? Do you like Auckland's 'Big Little City' Commercial? Feel free to comment below.

George W. Bush - a city planner?

George W. Bush is not the sort of figure you would associate with town planning.

Former President George W. Bush.
Reuters (2011)

But according to page 14 of his 2010 autobiography, Decision Points:

"Yale was a place where I felt free to discover and follow my passions. My wide range of course selections included Astronomy, City Planning.........." (Bush, 2010: 14).

So having studied it at Yale, Bush must know something about city planning. 


He can't be doing much these days. After all, he's not the most popular guy in the U.S.


So bring him out to Auckland. Make him mayor. His cowboy style diplomacy might actually get things done here.

Picture: REUTERS. 2011. George W. Bush in Pictures [Online]. Available: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/3274186/George-W-Bush-in-pictures.html?image=5 [Accessed 10/05/2011].

Quote: BUSH, G. W. 2010. Decision Points, New York, Crown Publishers.

A city New Zealand should be proud of

In Auckland, we like to talk. In fact we talk so much about being a "world class" city, that nothing sensible actually ever gets done.

Fortunately, some cities in our nation choose to just get on with it.

That's what Dunedin is so good at doing.

Dunedin by night.
Mitchell, S. C (Author) (2011)

The Auckland Council should look at Dunedin for inspiration, not Calcutta, or Liverpool, as they currently seem to be doing.

Dunedin makes the most of its fine architecture. Look at all of these well preserved Edwardian and Victorian buildings. Even his majesty, Prince Charles would approve.

Looking down Stuart Street, Dunedin.
Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2011)

Dunedin Railway Station.
Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2011)

Dunedin Town Hall.
Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2011)

The newest mall in the city, the Wall Street Centre, has been designed tastefully. The facade has been created in a way that blends in with Dunedin's historical architecture.

Wall Street Centre, Dunedin.
Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2011)

Wall Street Centre, Dunedin.
Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2011)

The city has kept much of its heritage, unlike Queen Street, in Auckland, which is like monument to bad 1980's architecture.

Dunedin has a true heart for its city - the Octagon. The Octagon is a fantastic patch of terraced, open space, surrounded by magnificent old buildings.

The Octagon, Dunedin.
Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2011)

The Octagon, Dunedin.
Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2011)

The Octagon, Dunedin.
Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2011)

Dunedin's central city is graced by huge leafy trees. Auckland, in its desperate attempt to mimic Downtown Apia, has decorated its CBD in palm trees. In my opinion, palm trees are best suited to a beach, not a downtown area. Dunedin seems comfortable with its Scottish heritage. In Auckland, we are trying a create a Pacific heritage that doesn't really connect with our colonial settler past.

Trees in the Dunedin CBD.
Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2011)

Instead of squabbling over whether a giant, toilet seat shaped stadium should be built on stilts over the waterfront, Dunedin went ahead and built itself a brand new indoor stadium. They've even managed to get Elton John to perform at it when its finished.

Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin.
Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2011)

Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin.
Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2011)

Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin.
Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2011)

Dunedin may only have a population of 116,600 (Statistics NZ, 2011), but it sure could offer Auckland a few lessons. Those cities that choose to quietly get on with it are the most "world class" of them all.

Population data: STATISTICS NEW ZEALAND. 2011. New Zealand in Profile 2011, Wellington, Statistics New Zealand.