Random Play by Graham Reid

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Random Play: My City In Ruins

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  • Tom Semmens,

    The most depressing aspect of the decline of Auckland is the generalised feeling of powerlessness to do anything about it. Everyone laughed at the “Absolutely Positively” campaign that got Wellington kick started several years ago now, but the capital is over-achieving and Auckland is most certainly under achieving. When I think of local government in Auckland I am reminded of the quote from the Duke of Wellington when asked his view of superior general who was taking over command of his army which roughly went something like this: “He has no plan, nor any idea of a plan, and indeed I do not know if he would recognise a plan if he saw one."

    Sevilla, Espana • Since Nov 2006 • 2217 posts Report Reply

  • Che Tibby,

    i've lived in both cities and would choose wellington any day of the week.

    i mean, i really, really tried to love auckland, but it was just too hard to live in. i went to many if not all the places graham mentions, and discovered many of my own (anyone else remember kalaloo in kingsland? best burgers i've EVER had).

    the place just doesn't 'hang together' like it should. downtown and round vulcan lane used to be promising, but these days whenever i'm in town i ignore all the boutique places and make a beeline for the korean food on upper queen street, ignoring the rest of the city.

    it's criminal that our biggest city is so neglected... nice motorway system these days tho.

    the back of an envelope • Since Nov 2006 • 2042 posts Report Reply

  • Rob Stowell,

    Friends and I have kicked around the idea of a series of semi-nostalgic books called "The Ghost Building of...(Insert city)." - the best pictures we could find of the iconic buildings we've lost, plus appropriate reminisences. Ok it'll never happen- but in an equally "it'll never happen"- wouldn't it be great if (courtesy of Wingnut or Google earth) you could take a "virtual walk" down Queen St in say 1890, 1920, or 1960. You can't visit Dunedin without noticing it had the first big building projects in NZ and that it STILL has them.
    Yer right- here's plenty that's great about Auckland- and Chch for that matter- but with a few exceptions the quality of architecture and public spaces are shabby- and seems Auckland is going down faster...
    ps thanks for the music!

    Whakaraupo • Since Nov 2006 • 2120 posts Report Reply

  • Richard Llewellyn,

    While you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn't lament the decline of Auckland in terms of infrastructure, transport, architecture, social cohesion, yada yada, what depresses me even more is that we have had many of the finest minds in NZ working on a variety of solutions for eons.

    There's currently the likes of the Metro project, the Super-Council, Stadium debate, Richard Simpsons work, etc etc (I'm sure there are many many more)

    To me the biggest question is, why aren't any of these solutions getting up, when virtually any one of them would have been better than the status quo? Are there too many chefs in the kitchen? Is the local and central government mechanism dysfunctional? Are there vested interests in the status quo?

    I appreciate that 'Da Vision Thing' can be dangerous in the wrong hands, but how do we move on from inertia?

    Mt Albert • Since Nov 2006 • 399 posts Report Reply

  • J Wilkinson,

    Couldn't agree more.

    Living in Grafton, I walk everywhere I need to go (with the exception of meetings in the burbs and the weekly grocery shop)...I LOVE Auckland. I especially love my eccentric little neighbourhood.

    But the CBD appears to be on a downhill slide.

    Recent examples:

    - the intended closure of the Grafton Bridge to everything except buses. Yah! That's going to solve our transport problems, isn't it? Especially after millions were spent recently upgrading the bus route down Khyber Pass which will now be wasted with this new diversion. At least when the train breaks down at Newmarket you'll be able to Bus to Britomart. Horray!

    - the "Bring Back Queen" upgrade...what a joke! One can only assume the project has experienced budget cut-backs. If not, the architect and the committee who signed it off need to be shot. It's poorly integrated with the surrounding buildings, footpaths and Aotea Square; as for the colour choice...yawn. Where's the design, where's the finesse? Tragic.

    - the refusal to close inner city streets for pedestrian only walkways. Imagine how great it would be if the entire Queen Street Area from Mayoral Drive to Quay Street including Lorne, High Street and O'Connell Street were closed to private vehicles? Breathing space, walking space, enjoyment of our inner city. Great way to get rid of those boy racer bastards and wannabes too.

    Griping over.

    On a positive note - don't you think the Domain just keeps getting better and better? It's the best large public park in the country I reckon - the museum upgrades have been done brilliantly, the sculpture walk is wonderful, music in the park continues to offer Aucklanders the best Sunday afternoon outdoor entertainment in Summer (all for free) and its ever changing gardens can be enjoyed year round.

    The Domain is about the only thing currently I'm glad my ever increasing rates are paying for...

    Grafton • Since Feb 2007 • 24 posts Report Reply

  • Stephen Judd,

    Well, I blame Muldoon. Or rather, I blame the trauma of Think Big. The failures and the white elephant debt taught generations of us that big projects were always and necessarily a bad idea. Whatever self-confidence we gained from the big public works projects of earlier decades leaked away in the 70s and 80s. Many of the same people who are happy to be mortgaged up to the gills for their comparitively non-productive houses have a horror of government debt.

    We need to look back at the ambitions of our ancestors and ask what we would do to live up to them. We need to ask what our descendants 100 years from now will admire.

    In another thread Juha linked to a campaign to "get moving". I noticed that the vids on Auckland mentioned citizen lobbying as a major force behind Perth's train system. Perhaps we future-oriented people just need to organise. Political leadership needs to understand that there is a movement for them to be in front of :)

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 3122 posts Report Reply

  • Robyn Gallagher,

    the "Bring Back Queen" upgrade...what a joke!

    What puzzles me about this the most is that amongst the new blue stone pavers, there appear to have been areas left (or repaved) in the old pink ones. I wonder why.

    I'm not convinced that new street paving will liven up Queen Street. Newmarket, for example, has shitty old cobblestones all around its streets, and yet it's a far more pleasant place to spend an afternoon than Queen Street.

    Queen Street was almost reduced to one lane, but this idea was scrapped after shopkeepers complained. Apparently some of them still like to think that Queen Street should offer street parking.

    Since Nov 2006 • 1946 posts Report Reply

  • Marcus Neiman,

    Notwithstanding central government's apathy and fear towards Auckland, there certainly is a problem in terms of the quality of local government in Auckland. At the level of elected representatives, voters are faced with the Cits and Rats/Nats types whose twin obsessions are hosting mega-events and limiting rates, or City Vision/Labour Party hacks whose years of ladder climbing have drained them of any real drive, creativity, or willingness to challenge a Labour-led central government.

    Meanwhile, as Mr. Judd alludes to, there is a real lack of confidence in the leadership of the NZ (central and local) public bureaucracy to not intellectually challenge those who would run the country/city "as a business", rather than a democracy.

    In Auckland we are seeing years of deference to businessmen as actors in public life and the mediocrity of the market as mechanism for making decisions of public concern.

    Sydney • Since Feb 2007 • 107 posts Report Reply

  • Don Christie,

    Auckland certainly needs a bit of a kicking. The motorway might be ok for Che but it is flaming nightmare to negotiate a route from the airport to the North. On a par with the worst set of intersections in the world, and I have seen a few.

    On a positive note - don't you think the Domain just keeps getting better and better?

    The Domain was my recent discovery as well. At the risk of repeating myself, protect every little inch. Screw those Carlaw park advocates who want to take - just a little bit - for parking. Philistines.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1645 posts Report Reply

  • Che Tibby,

    true. there are very, very few things that would make me take to the streets in protest.

    impinging on the domain is one of them.

    the back of an envelope • Since Nov 2006 • 2042 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz,

    dgFieldsWhere do we start!

    The system of local government is fundamentally broken:
    - the success of outer Auckland is intrinsically bound up with the inner city, yet we have a regional body with limited powers (and which covers places that are not and should not be part of Auckland), combined with fragmented fiefdoms in each of the four "cities" (They aren't cities - Auckland is a city - Manukau, Waitakere and the shore are collections of suburbs).

    - because the national parties pretend not to participate in NZ local elections, there is no accountability for useless local politicians.

    - the mayor is separately elected from the council and has no ability to drive policy except by exhortation

    - having FPP used for council elections means that the candidate who gets the most momentum wins (favouring rich people who can spend up on publicity).

    - this all results in the mayor being an ego-tripper - and typically either a failed national politician or a successful businessman

    I'd suggest:
    - merging the four central Auckland councils and the ARC
    - having neighbourhood bodies for the present community board areas to address purely local issues like garbage and parks
    - electing the council by a representative proportional system, with candidates representing real NZ political parties
    - abolishing the mayor and having the council run by a leader having the support of a majority of councillors

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Marcus Neiman,

    Rich: You perhaps forgot to mention abolishing the NZ Herald, or at least breaking its local monopoly...

    While I agree that FPP needs to go, I think you will find that there are (relatively modest) campaign limits for local government elections.

    The problem is that due to the lack of a party system communicating information about the quality of candidates, in battles between unknowns and celebrities (ie. the failed national politicians, successful businessmen) the latter will normally always win - regardless of their lack of qualities beyond recognition.

    However, the local parties in Auckland (C&R and City Vision) for the reasons I described above, are generally failing to produce the driven, intelligent, and creative politicians who might coordinate affordable and effective public transport, pursue affordable housing, make the place look pretty, etc.

    Thus we need a party system, new parties, and central government to get over its fear of a powerful Auckland. This could only happen when the groups in power in Auckland and Wellington are aligned. With Labour in power in Wellington and centre-left in power in Auckland City and the ARC there is a chance now - but I am not holding my breath.

    Sydney • Since Feb 2007 • 107 posts Report Reply

  • reece palmer,

    The main drag is becoming increasingly ugly.

    The main drag is, mainly a drag.
    Are you in that block of units adjacent to the railway tracks Graham? The one that has been under repair since about 18 months ago? I really hope for your sake not, they look pretty shoddy from my overlooking deck on the other side of the tracks (so to speak).
    As I said in the pol08 thread, the people we elect to represent us very rarely do. They don't plan for the future they plan to get re-elected. The domain has always been super sweet and long may that continue. I was crawling along the southern carpark on the way home from work this avo and a crusty old derelict trundled past next to the motorway. No wonder people don't catch the trains, they look as if they may give out at any moment.
    Can someone please explain why it is that here in enzud we always go for the cheapest shittiest nearsighted option?

    the terraces • Since Nov 2006 • 298 posts Report Reply

  • Stephen Judd,

    why it is that here in enzud we always go for the cheapest shittiest nearsighted option?

    See my post above.

    Also, it's the flip-side of the "number 8 fencing wire" mentality. Being handy with number 8 fencing wire is very helpful in an environment where money and materials are not to hand. It is not so helpful in building long-lasting structures,

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 3122 posts Report Reply

  • reece palmer,

    So do you think its infighting that holds us back or other interest groups such as developers who want to be able to continuously foist substandard buildings upon us?

    the terraces • Since Nov 2006 • 298 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    The Domain was my recent discovery as well. At the risk of repeating myself, protect every little inch. Screw those Carlaw park advocates who want to take - just a little bit - for parking. Philistines.

    To be fair, they'd be taking a little bit of the domain that no one really uses. And it's not for parking. The promise is that they'll build parking underneath the stadium that will help remove cars from the Domain.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • reece palmer,

    Lovers lane Russel!

    the terraces • Since Nov 2006 • 298 posts Report Reply

  • reece palmer,

    errata, Russell!

    the terraces • Since Nov 2006 • 298 posts Report Reply

  • Zippy Gonzales,

    Yes, the Domain is Heaven in the Orkland Hell, but what got me is the amount of people who drive through it as a thoroughfare. The council could earn a good sum of money putting a toll booth in the middle.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 186 posts Report Reply

  • Graham Reid,

    reece asks where i live.
    I am in the large apartments which have just been completed so look brand new (and i'm pleased to note sellers are pricing accordingly)
    Thankfully we are not in the ones opposite morningside station which have laughably bad "eaves" put over some of the windows. they look like they have been added by the boys from 3D Gen woodwork class. But no matter, the builders who worked on our place say that if we give it a year that whole block will be uninhabitable and will probably fall down.
    Trains? I used to take the train a fair bit when working at the Herald and got used to delays, non-arrivals and so on. What I could never get used to however was the crowding on trains at 8.30am and 4.30-5.30pm.
    Now it doesn't take a genius to work out that a train which goes to Newmarket passing St Peters and Auckland Grammar in the morning is going to be full of schoolboys carrying backpacks and bags.
    So there is always this Tokyo-styled press of humanity at those times. Maybe just two more cariages in peak periods?
    In my original post I was really only talking about the CBD as being a shithole, I find Auckland suburbs kinda nice.
    Back in March 2005 I wrote this
    http://www.publicaddress.net/default,1935.sm#post1935

    I think the application of a little logic might be helpful to improve the CBD: close those streets around Chancery, get some foot patrol cops -- the number of drunks and out-of-it people is kinda menacing -- no U-turns on Q St (taxi drivers take note), have an annual window display competition, insist something be done about the reflecting glass on the HSBC building (more distracting and dangerous than any billboard), all commercial deliveries other than couriers to be done before 9am and after 6pm, no heavy vehicles up Q St unless given specific permission etc etc etc

    And sorry, I don't get the Carlaw option. The Stanley St motorway entrances are a racetrack and bloody complicated. There are few ways into that entrance to Carlaw (down Parnell Rd!!?? You gotta be kidding!) Access and egress look impossible there. How do you get to Carlaw from coming down the northwestern motorway? The lanes shunt you directly down to the port or up Parnell or along Custom St. Can't see a right turn into a parking area there being viable etc.
    And 65,000 people all leaving at the same time into those lanes and narrow streets? Worse than North Harbour Stadium snarl ups.

    Frankly I'm just happy to be staying at home for a wee while.

    auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 45 posts Report Reply

  • Che Tibby,

    all commercial deliveries other than couriers to be done before 9am and after 6pm

    sorry man, that's impossible.

    when i worked delivering pheonix drinks to downtown the only time of day you could deliver was between 9-11 and 2-4. any other time and the retailers were either closed or too busy to receive their supplies.

    i suspect industries other than service have similar sorts of constraints.

    you also need to ensure that suppliers can access some of the 'pedestrian-only' areas.

    swanston walk in melbourne is a good example. you just stop all private vehicle traffic and leave the road open to PT, cabs and some suppliers. cuts a huge amount of traffic out.

    the back of an envelope • Since Nov 2006 • 2042 posts Report Reply

  • David Haywood,

    Graham Reid wrote:

    And sorry, I don't get the Carlaw option. The Stanley St motorway entrances are a racetrack and bloody complicated. There are few ways into that entrance to Carlaw (down Parnell Rd!!?? You gotta be kidding!) Access and egress look impossible there. How do you get to Carlaw from coming down the northwestern motorway?

    The Carlaw stadium proposal uses the old tunnel under Albert park to connect the stadium (via a travelator) to the city. As I recall, the plan involves only 10,000 car parks under the stadium. So I guess the idea is that many people would park their cars elsewhere in Auckland (or, dare I suggest, take public transport!), and then shamble along the travelator to the stadium.

    You'll have traffic problems wherever you site a stadium in Auckland (God knows I've been stuck in enough traffic jams at Eden park). So it's probably a sensible approach to disperse the parking and traffic over a wide area, which is what the Carlaw proposal aims to do via the travelator.

    I'd hope the engineers will have already looked at the entry/exit problem. It looks like an elevated off-ramp from Stanley street (that crosses over the main road) would be the easiest thing to do -- and then you'd have very easy access from the Southern & Northwestern motorways.

    Dunsandel • Since Nov 2006 • 1156 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    I grew up in Auckland, but thankfully got out in 1993. It astounds me that Queen Street still allows anyone with a car to drive it's length. Personally I think Dunedin should shut down George Street to a series of malls, allowing on traffic to cross it. The argument seems to be twice as strong in Auckland.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Williams,

    I gotta say that on a recent trip back to Akl, I was pleasantly surprised by how timely, clean and cost effective the trains were (compared with in the '80s when I used them to go to school). The road traffic, on the otherhand, was worse than Sydney.

    Sydney • Since Nov 2006 • 2273 posts Report Reply

  • Alec Morgan,

    Auckland perhaps is bigger than all of us...a grubby futurist grittscape arrived inconveniently early. There are islands of quiet but Graham Reid accurately tags worst offender the CBD.
    (younger readers may prefer to go to the next post). Queen Street peaked in the 70s in my recall as an active Ford V8 driver. The paving was fresh and new, it was a happening place.
    Undercover cops were instantly spottable. Hot bands weekly, Frank Zappa, Little Feat anyone?Hare Krishnas, Vulcan Lane, City Art Gallery, Richard Weatherly ran the film festival not Bill Gosden, cold Muscato Bianco or beer between the legs (real drinking and driving), Murray Cammick snapping away (he still has the negs apparently), Pete Washer and family at the White Lady, Clichy Restaurant, yikes!
    When the ACC traffic cops hassled V8ers too much for bald spare tires and the like (where are you Phil Davies) Mayor Colin Kay would get a 2am phone call on a Sat nite.
    I did 27 mostly enjoyable years in Auckland before moving to Far North beaches 11 years back. Sad sidewalks and closet sized fried rice incubators don’t encourage my return. But what ya gonna do? Well do what you can, as a certain famous person said to another “we may not be able to defeat the bastards, but we don’t have to join them”

    Tokerau Beach • Since Nov 2006 • 124 posts Report Reply

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