Kiwis and Nimbyism when it comes to living in high-rise, high-density developments

Thursday, 22 August 2019

OPINION: I had pangs for big city life this week.

With discussions of transport hubs and high-speed rail links between Hamilton and Auckland, of skyscrapers, and inland ports, I wondered what I was missing out on. Hamilton is a city on the rise.

On Monday the city council said it wants to cut red tape around planning provisions, removing things like the building height limit in the central city. Hamilton City Council project manager Debra Stan-Barton was quoted saying, 'if you want to build to the moon, let's take a look.' Flicking through the catchily named Plan Change 6, it seems there are also plans to reduce requirements around section sizes in the city. It says for identified intensification areas, up to 30 houses could be built on one hectare. That's a section size of just over 300sq metres.

By Wednesday the Government was announcing its own plans to fix our 'failing cities', interestingly, by freeing up Local Government planning provisions, to allow our cities to grow up and out, so they can deal with our housing shortage. Urban Development Minister Phil Twyford said he was confident the plan would side-line even the most sceptical NIMBY.

Hamilton's tallest buildings could be dwarfed under proposed height restriction changes.

It's a long overdue discussion. High rises and high-density housing are going to be necessities in New Zealanders lives in the future, whether we like it or not. Saying no to growth and putting up a no vacancy sign, isn't an option. And as Hamilton city looks to accommodate 21,000 more people by 2028, we will all need to be living very differently.

As Hamilton city looks to accommodate 21,000 more people by 2028, we will all need to be living very differently, says Nicola Martin.

Cities like Oslo, the current holder of the European Green Capital Award, where about 95 per cent of their residents live within 300 metres of a green space.

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Both the Government's and Hamilton City Council's plans are open for public consultation so people can have their say on the proposals. The Government's closes on October 10 and Hamilton City's on September 6.

I see a small problem, however. Getting rid of NIMBYs, freeing up planning provisions and growing our cities up, won't get rid of Kiwi's attitudes to how we live in our main centres and big cities. For that we will need a whole shift in our national psyche. New Zealanders are still wedded to our cars and quarter acre sections. We like looking out the window at lawns and green spaces and we don't like living on top of our neighbours. We view high-density and apartment living as something other 'big' countries do. So, let's face it, we're all NIMBYs on that front. It's a great idea but no one wants high-density development in their own backyard.

We own a home in Hamilton. The section next door is 1100sq metres. We've always had one eye over the fence, waiting for the day its sub divided or worse, apartments are built on it. It will happen and it should happen. It's very close to the central city, walking distance in fact. All we can hope is the developers have a few aesthetic genes and aren't just in it for a quick buck. We planted the boundary with trees, just in case.

Because that's the thing, cities are so much more than housing and high rises and apartments and transport hubs with high-speed transport links. At their foundation is people. We shouldn't lose sight of that, but somehow, we need to get to a point where, if mum, dad and their two children want to live in our cities, then they also view apartment or high-density living as normal.

In the year to June there has been the most housing growth in Hamilton in a generation with 1552 dwellings approved for construction. Developers are already poised to start building on residential growth cells at Rototuna, Rotokauri and Peacocks. The question is, how will we make these communities attractive for these people and families to live in? How are we thinking outside of our apartments or houses and our cars, about social cohesion in our communities and how any of these developments will create that? How will people will live work and play in these spaces?

We also probably need to think more about how we organise work and our work environments. Why do we all need to be going into an office every day? Many employers already offer some work flexibility, but why don't more provide the opportunity to work from home one or two days a week. And for those that don't want to live in the big city, where's the opportunity to live outside our main centres, in more rural towns, and travel into our cities for work, when needed?

I have often wondered if we've looked to some of the world's most liveable cities and what they have done right, and more importantly wrong, to learn their lessons? Cities like Oslo, the current holder of the European Green Capital Award, where about 95 per cent of their residents live within 300 metres of a green space. They're being held up as an example of how to do urban development well. Amsterdam, where bicycles reign supreme, or Munich where its public transport runs like a swiss timepiece. These are some of the things to which Hamilton and New Zealand's big cities should aspire.

Both the Government's and Hamilton City Council's plans are open for public consultation so people can have their say on the proposals. The Government's closes on October 10 and Hamilton City's on September 6.

We all know the usual suspects who will take the time to give their feedback. They're generally older, white, male and with more time on their hands than the average Kiwi. Or they're developers, other planners and consultants with a vested interest. They're unlikely to be the young people and young families who we want to be embracing this new way of living. Has there been any consideration given to widespread market research which will reach these people, discover what makes them tick and the types of amenities and offerings which can be added to these developments to make this type of living more attractive for them?

New Zealanders are all NIMBYs when it comes to living in high rise apartments and high-density developments but if we want to continue living in our cities, our attitude to this needs to change. And for those that don't want to live the city life, I say, there's still plenty of green space in our regions.

* Nicola Martin is a columnist for the Waikato Times.