The government has announced that it will undertake a law change to fast-track eligible development. The details are still relatively light but the following types of projects have been singled out for priority at this early stage (my satirical comments added): Roading (to help us re-pollute the air); Walking and cycling (which has been revealed… Continue reading Fast-track Consenting (shudder)
Category: Landscape Architecture
Trees are the Enemy of Growth
Consultation on the proposed National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity closes soon and some of the submissions by local government are fascinating. The ones I have seen (through Council Committee agendas) almost all reference a perceived tension between biodiversity protection and urban development. It’s unfortunate that such a false dichotomy exists in planning because we… Continue reading Trees are the Enemy of Growth
Designing the Road to Zero
The Road to Zero: New Zealand’s Road Safety Strategy 2020-2030 contains some pretty sobering statistics, including: In 2017, there were 7.9 fatalities per 100,000 population. In 2018, 182 drivers and 5 cyclists were killed. The majority of serious crashes result from simple errors of perception or judgement by otherwise compliant people. It focuses on making… Continue reading Designing the Road to Zero
Convergence of the Professions
A typical land development project involves a variety of professionals drawing from their respectively diverse bodies of knowledge. Despite this, the outcome sought by you as a developer remains a piece of land or a new building to use or sell. Achieving this outcome requires unprecedented workflow collaboration, usually under the direction of a lead… Continue reading Convergence of the Professions