“How do we achieve the desired goal of more homes and more amenities, in the right places with the liveability that we all want. What is our role as urban designers, to ensure we deliver as ‘placemakers’? What else is in the toolbox to enable intensification that enables thriving, resilient communities now and into the future?”
In New Zealand today there is a trend and a requirement towards urban intensification, to address the climate and ecological emergencies and make cities and towns more viable and sustainable.
At this year’s UrbanismNZ 2023 in Auckland, my planned presentation was originally entitled ‘Christchurch says no to anywhere-goes intensification’. It was at the time Christchurch City Council, and many other Councils around New Zealand, were looking to make planning policy changes in response to recent national legislative changes. But it was also at a time when Christchurch residents spoke up – and our Councillors listened.
Christchurch residents are used to change – in the twelve years since the devastation of the earthquakes, residents have lived with change and they expect further change. But they also know what they have lost in their city, and what ‘sense of place’ means to them. Christchurch residents were wanting more say in the way intensification would be delivered in their city. The Council listened – and voted against introducing new housing intensification standards as proposed.
Fast-forward to today and submissions have just closed on Council’s revised Housing and Business Choice Plan Change (PC14) – so the process is underway, but with little true community participation. This top-down planning approach gives a mandate to build more, much needed, homes – however top-down regulatory direction does not a successful place make!
It isn’t just about the Acts, the Plans, the maps, the talk, or the best design guidance in the world, the process needs to engage the experts – the people who know the place, are invested in the place and will be using that place long after the development has been delivered. And these experts are… the residential and business community.
“True placemaking is about engaging with people in the whole process – it is understanding the community, the place and what needs to change, from concept right through to designing, communicating, and delivering the (intensification) required.”
Participatory placemaking techniques are used extensively internationally by both the private and public sectors. Here in New Zealand, ‘placemaking’ is understood as ‘place activation’ – where communities are engaged with to activate and use the built places and spaces. However, true placemaking is about engaging with people in the whole process – it is understanding the community, the place and what needs to change, from concept right through to designing, communicating, and delivering the (intensification) required.
So for Urbanism NZ, I changed tack and reached out to former colleagues and leaders in collaborative planning and participatory placemaking, Marcus Adams and Charles Campion at JTP, to illustrate the intensification outcomes possible through their internationally recognised participatory processes.
“Placemaking is about putting people at the heart of the creative process, unearthing the real needs of a community, empowering stakeholders, creating goodwill, inspiring community spirit and building consensus. Far from imposing ready-made off the shelf solutions, the Vision must be created together. This leads to places that are vibrant, valued and sustainable from the outset.“
Charles Campion, JTP
JTP is based in London, UK. The practice has worked in many countries, with many different communities. Co-founded by John Thompson and partners, in 1995, JTP has practiced and published on collaborative placemaking for nearly thirty years. John sadly died at the end of 2022 and leaves behind a phenomenal legacy including JTP and The Academy of Urbanism. JTP Managing Partner Marcus Adams and Charles Campion, Collaborative Placemaking Partner have a wealth of experience in the UK and abroad and presented case studies to the conference to illustrate what this co-design process can achieve.
While the presentation is a mere snapshot of their work, it is focused on how collaborative placemaking truly enables and empowers communities – for both residential intensification and town centre regeneration. It also highlights that both public and private sector clients see this tried and tested process as valuable and viable. The process works – for the short and the long-term.
UrbanismNZ 2023 showcased an impressive range of participatory design and planning processes, particularly alongside mana whenua and local communities. JTP’s ‘collaborative placemaking’ approach is an example of how New Zealand can learn from others to deliver the intensification we need, with the communities that are affected.
Urban design is inherently collaborative – let’s draw on our international colleagues to learn from and help us deliver for all our local benefit. Let’s start shaping communities from the ground up.