Urban Aotearoa: The Future For Our Cities

Despite our agrarian mythology, Aotearoa New Zealand is overwhelmingly a country of urban dwellers.'

This new BWB Text explores the pressing issues of urban sprawl, sustainable city planning, and the diverse cultural influences shaping our urban environments.

David Batchelor, a researcher and founder of Wellington Heritage Week,and Bill McKay, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland and an expert in New Zealand architecture, bring together a group of writers to examine how New Zealand can create cities that are not only functional but also inclusive and resilient.

The editors highlight the urgent need to rethink our urban landscapes: ‘While we have occupied urban environments for decades, our version of urbanity has predominantly been a suburban one… It is too easy to revert to our traditional sense of scale and make-do attitude. It is therefore important that we understand how our cities operate and then advance an Aotearoa urbanism that serves our ambitions and tests some of our antipodean predispositions.'

The chapters address a wide array of topics, from the history of New Zealand’s urban development to the influence of Māori and Pacific cultures, climate action, and the challenges of housing affordability.

Contributors include:

• Anthony Hōete discussing the future of Māori urban spaces
• Shamubeel Eaqub and Selena Eaqub on the economic models underpinning homeownership
• Lama Tone examining Pacific urban design
• Paul Dalziel and Jane Higgins on the intersection of urban leadership and climate change
• Ben Schrader on the historical evolution of urban Aotearoa
• John Tookey investigating infrastructure planning and investment
• Morten Gjerde analysing urban design and governance

The afterword sets a visionary tone: ‘We can all contribute to Aotearoa urbanism. Those within urban development professions – planners, surveyors, tradespeople and architects – should steer clients towards healthier medium-rise urban forms and away from garage doors and low-rise bungalows separated by tall fencing.’

‘Aotearoa New Zealand will inevitably define its own version of the city over time as people, buildings and infrastructure coalesce. This urbanism needs to be more distinctive, refined and ambitious than our current status quo.’

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