LAND 6225 STUDIO 5

INTENSIFYING RURBAN SYSTEMSINTENSIFYING RURBAN SYSTEMS

Jessie Huston, Jasmine Lister & May Tang

Rurban: “Creation of an urban age in a city, maintaining an open structure that connects with the natural network of the environment which penetrates the city.”

CONTENTS1. INTRODUCTION - The Wider Context Page 4 - Whitford Area Page 5

2. CONTEXT: BIOLOGICAL, PHYSICAL AND CULTURAL ELEMENTS - Existing Vegetation Page 6 - Elevation Page 7 - Slope Page 8 - Hydrology Page 9 - MUL’s Page 10 - Transport Page 11

3. DEVELOPMENT PROCESS - Buildable vs. Non-Buildable Page 12 - High Density Residential Page 13 - Mixed Commercial and Med/High Density Residential Page 14 - Medium Density Residential Page 15 - Mixed Schools and Low Density Residential Page 16 - Low Density Residential Page 17 - Re-vegetated Land Page 18 - Riparian Management Page 19

4. FINAL PROPOSAL - Density Types Page 20 - Auckland CBD Proximity Page 21 - Schooling Zone Proximity Page 22 - Dwellings vs. Open Space Page 23 - 3D Final Map and Conclusion Page 24

5. REFERENCES - References used within the e-book Page 25

Rurban:

The aim of rurban is to maintain an agricultural environment whilst still having the comforts of our ur-

ban lifestyle.

- J2M

Rurban:

You live in the country, but you own no cows. You have all of the piped-in, cable-driven commercial needz as

your rural brethren, but with far less concrete.

- XPADREX

1. INTRODUCTIONTHE WIDER CONTEXT

New Zealand is full of history dating back to before 1130AD. To this day there are approximately 4.3 million people living in this country who are all from around the globe. There is a vast array of cultures which makes New Zealand a big tourist attraction and a popular coun-try to live in.

Auckland is known as the largest capital city in New Zealand. It current-ly houses approximately 1.5 million people1.

The Auckland region is full of potential with it’s rich volcanic soils, wide variety of plant species and its beautiful harbours and coastal beach-es. The aim for Auckland is to make it one of the most livable cities in the world.

For this to happen there are strict measures that need to be dealt with:

- population growth- keeping rural areas for particular Auckland residents- thinking about quality not quantity- creating the least amount of disturbances for ecosystem patches- making it easy for Auckland residents to travel throughout the city- keeping pollution to a minimum as there may be more cars in the fu-ture

By 2050, Auckland’s population will increase from 1.5 million to 2.5 million therefore doubling the amount of residents living in the city. This creates a series of issues as the Auckland City Council will need to decide where the people are going to live in the city. For this to happen they will need to decide if the Metropolitan Urban Limit (MUL) will be extended in order to keep the city compact, or create satellite towns which intensifies certain rural areas.

Our brief for the LAND6225 - Studio 5 paper is to find ways of designing a growth strategy for the Whitford, Clevedon and Brookby areas to fit 250,000 new residents. This could be from extending the MUL or creating a satellite city. We must analysis the main landscape factors, elements, processes and patterns within the wider Auckland region.

Our group consists of three people. Jessie Huston, May Tang and Jasmine Lister. We are interested in the Whitford area because we feel that extending the MUL would be a more suitable way to go.

We think this would be the way to go because:

- it’s easier to extend the MUL to intensify our area- a compact city is the way to as it’s easier for residents to go into the city for work and/or leisure- it has large potential for different ways of living

Whitford is located towards the southern east area of Auckland central. It currently populates around 2000 residents2. Majority of the area contains lifestyle blocks which have a value of $600,000 - $8,000,000.

There are very few shops and the closest school in the area is in Clevedon which edu-cates students from years 1-8.

The Whitford Country Club offers an 18-hole golf course as well as a bird garden named ‘Ayrlies’ which is one of New Zealand’s best known private gardens. There is also a pony club as Whitford is known as a horse ‘country’3.WHITFORD

WHITFORD AREA1. INTRODUCTION

2. CONTEXTBIOLOGICAL, PHYSICAL & CULTURAL ELEMENTS

existing vegetation

0 2 4 6 81Kilometers

vegetationBroadleaved Indigenous Hardwoods

Deciduous Hardwoods

Forest Harvested

Indigenous Forest

Manuka and or Kanuka

Other Exotic Forest

Pine Forest - Closed Canopy

Pine Forest - Open Canopy

existing MUL

BIOLOGICAL, PHYSICAL & CULTURAL ELEMENTS2. CONTEXT

Most of the vegetation is located on the hilltop to the right of the Whitford valley.

There are very few vegetation patches inside of the MUL which are all manuka and/or kanuka.

Broadleaved indigenous hardwoods are mainly found along the ridges compared to all the other vegetation types which are scattered amongst the Whitford valley.

Not many patches are found inside of the flood plain or along the estuary.

We found the Whitford valley to be a good area for the extension of the MUL because there are small patches of vegetation which we could protect and/or revegetate.


elevation

existing MUL

>280

245 - 280

210 - 245

175 - 210

140 - 175

105 - 140

70 - 105

35 - 70

0 - 35

The dark green areas in the Whitford valley represent an elevation of 0m - 35m which are the best places for building lifestyle blocks and/or medium density houses because they have more land to deal with.

This map easily shows the topography of the land and how all the yellow, orange and red areas are >210m which are unbuildable.

The yellow areas within the Whitford valley are to be left as they are because there are large patches of vegetation on them. This can also be seen along the ridge at the bottom of Whitford.

The hilltop to the right of Whitford has the highest elevation where the inside of the MUL has the flattest. It slowly rises as it grows closer towards the MUL.


slope


existing MUL

slope0 - 5

5 - 8

8 - 15

15 - 45

45 - 63


The black and red areas show the slopes that are 15° or greater. These patches are too steep to build on so they would be left as they are or they would be revegetated and/or retired.

They could also be modified and used for walking trails along the Whitford, Clevedon and Brookby areas.

The highest slope can be seen in black and they are mainly located to the right of the Whitford valley along the ridge.

The lowest slopes are in grey which shows that most of the area is generally flat.

The Whitford area is mostly 0° - 5° making it easier and cheaper to build on and there are small amounts of steep slopes within it.

Majority of the land inside the MUL is flat or has a 5° slope.

There are a few patches along the coast and along the MUL beside Whitford which have 5° - 15° slopes.

This map shows the hydrology and water catchments within our area and inside the MUL.

The small blue lines represent the valleys that lead into the sea. In the Whitford area all the valleys flow into the Turanga creek then into the sea.

The blue patch with diagonal lines is the flood plain within the Clevedon valley. We want to leave this area as it is and create a 20m buffer on either side of the rivers.

There are mainly mangroves growing into the Whitford and Clevedon estuaries.

There are no lakes or ponds in our area.


The pink area and outline shows the current MUL in Auckland. The idea is to extend it into the Whitford valley which can be seen as the blue line .

This may be the way to go because it’s easier to extend the MUL into the new rurban area. It would still be close to the city and it would be integrated with the current urban area.

One of the main reasons why the Whitford valley was chosen over Clevedon is because we intend to preserve the valley and flood plains.

Apart from the flood plain, the Whitford valley has the least amount of slopes making it the perfect area to intensify.

The extended MUL follows the coast and Turanga estuary, along the boundary of the existing native forest bounday and through the bottom ridge. It then continues past the flood plain and back into the current MUL.


Transport will be a major factor in this design.

There are already two ferry ports, one on either side of the valley which are easily accessible via roads and bus routes. The ferry routes will stay the same but will be-come more frequent.

The dark red nodes represent the current main bus stops near the edge of the existing MUL whereas the orange nodes are proposed bus stops in our area.

They connect with Whitford- Park Road, Brookby Road (which will become main roads for our area) as well as the Southern motorway for easier access into the Auck-land CBD.

Other intensified roads are:

- Alfriston Road- Chapel Road- Ormiston Road- Sandstone Road- South-Eastern Highway- Ti Rakau Drive- Whitford Road

3. DEVELOPMENT PROCESSBUILDABLE VS. NON-BUILDABLE

3. DEVELOPMENT PROCESSDIFFERENT TYPES OF DENSITY ZONES

When the south facing slopes, slopes that were >15° and the native vegetation patches were identified, the Whitford valley was divided intobuildable vs. non-buildable areas.

It is clear to see that there is more buildable land over non-buildable which helps to define our extended MUL.

The black areas are to be revegetated or protected whereas the yellow areas are to be divided into different zoning densities.

The high density defines itself amongst the highest slopes. This is be-cause the high density areas are to be 5-storey apartments, which gives them are great view of the harbour and Auckland central.

This density is able to accommodate up to 80 people per hectare.

The 5-storey apartment blocks consists of 3 apartments per level and can fit up to 3 people in each apartment. The overall population is 45 for each apartment block.

These apartments have an average of 70m2 each (2 bedroom), and amount to a total ground space of 250m2 (this includes 40m2 for el-evators, stairs, hallways, lobbys etc).

The total ground cover that is required for these 3100 apartment blocks, is 77.5ha, leaving approximately 1700ha for open space, roads, parking, and agricultural use.

An example of this type of density is Kowloon in Hong Kong. It current-ly houses approximately 2 million people which is 48% of the country’s population. The density is 4.3 million hectares. We used this example because it has the high density apartment buildings which sit alongside the steep slopes4.



This medium density area is defined by its moderately high slopes . This area is made up of residential buildings which is the best solution because it’s spread amongst low, high, and vegetation zones.


These dwellings have an average of 578m2, each with 3 bedroom (up to 4 people per property), and amount to a total ground space of 550ha. This allows for a total population of 38000.

The total ground cover that is required for these 9500 properties, is 550ha, leaving approximately 440ha for open space, roads, parking, and agricultural use.

This mixed density area defines itself amongst the flat-est slopes. This is because this area includes commercial buildings, which are more effective in flatter areas, as it is easier for people to walk around between shops. It is also in a central location in the Whitford valley, which is more convenient for residents in this area. This area is also along the main road (Whitford Park Road) which means that this can be used as a commercial strip.


The 4-storey apartment blocks consists of 2 apart-ments per level and can fit up to 3 people in each apart-ment. The overall population is 24 for each apartment block.

These apartments have an average of 70m2 each (2 bedroom), and amount to a total ground space of 180m2 (this includes 40m2 for elevators, stairs, hallways, lob-bys etc). Approximately half of these apartments are situated on top of shops to allow for more concentrated population intensification.

The total ground cover that is required for these 2375 apartment blocks, is 42.7ha, leaving approximately 900ha for open space, roads, parking, and agricultural use.



The low density area is defined by the coastal areas sur-rounding it. This is because it is the most practical area for low density lifestyle blocks. The gentle rolling slopes create a desirable living environment.


These dwellings have an average of 1ha, each with 3 bedroom (up to 4 people per property), and amount to a total ground space of 1525ha. This allows for a total population of 6100.

The total ground cover that is required for these 1525 properties, is 1525ha, leaving approximately 32ha for open space, roads and parking.

This mixed density area is again defined by the flattest slopes . This is because this area includes mixed schools (primary-college) and low residential density.

This is the best location for the schools as it is in a close proximity to the Whitford, Brookby and Clevedon town-ships as well as the Southern motorway (see page 22 for proximity map)


These dwellings have an average of 1000m2, each with 3 bedroom (up to 4 people per property), and amount to a total ground space of 2525ha. This allows for a total population of 10100.

The total ground cover that is required for these 2525 properties, is 252.5ha, leaving approximately 430ha for open space, roads, parking, schools and agricultural use.


3. DEVELOPMENT PROCESSREVEGETATED STREAMS AND RIPARIAN

stream and riparian management and revegetation, im-prove the quality of these streams and riparian areas, as well as the surrounding areas greatly. Without proper management, these areas are prone to flooding, pollu-tion, erosion and large sediment deposits. An example of this is the port in Ephesus, which provided the inhabit-ants with a large prosperousness due to the amount of trade and commerce that were provided by this port. However, this port was unable to function when the sur-rounding forests were cut down to accommodate the growth of the city. This not only lossened the soil, which increased erosion, but it also caused the water table to rise as there was a huge decrease in transpiration, which (because it was such a low-lying area) just increased the water volume and sediment, which spread out into the port, meaning that it became unsuitable for ships of any type.

By preserving all current forest areas, we will exponen-tially decrease the chances of this happening to any of the streams or coastal areas in th Whitford valley.

Creating a 20m vegetaion buffer on either side of the streams and riparian areas in the Whitford valley, erosion will be minimised, providing a habitat for native fauna, and improvong the quality of life for those living in this area.

Fences, or boundarys will be in place when land surround-ing streams or riparian areas, is in use for farming (espe-cially with animals)

This area is to be used only as re-vegetated forest land. This is because it is located on the steepest and south-ern facing slopes (which are unpractical for develop-ment), and also a large proportion of this land is already covered by native forest.

This density will accommodate no people, however, it can be modified in ways that will not compromise the preservation of these native forests.

The total area for this will be over 1600ha.

These vegetation patches provide:

- ecological richness - green corridors for existing foresty around the area e.g the Hunua ranges and the Clevedon scenic reserve- prevents sediments from eroding and falling into the Whitford valley- slow water run off in to the valley- provides habitation for bird species- has potential for educational and scenic value with dis-turbance management

4. FINAL PROPOSALINTEGRATED DENSITY ZONES

4. FINAL PROPOSALAUCKLAND CBD PROXIMITY TO WHITFORD

The proximity map illustrates distances from the Auck-land CBD to Whitford.

The Whitford valley is within 55km radius from the Auck-land CBD which means that while it is still possible for residence to travel and work in the city it is more practi-cal to work in the commercial area within the valley. By doing this they would also reduce car use as the com-mercial area would be a reasonable walk from anywhere in the valley.

Cycling could also be an option.

Limiting car use would also be an effective way to lower the amount of traffic during rush hour.

The furtherest distance is measured to be approximate-ly 55km which would take around 30 minutes by car, 35 minutes on the ferry and 1 hour, 30 minutes by bus.

This map shows the final outcome of the integrated densities in the Whitford valley.

It provides a view of the different zones when they are interconnected, how it’s split into different maps and that it gives a detailed conclusion of how the zones work amongst each other.

The mixed commercial density is placed well within the context of the Whitford valley as it is in close proximity to the surrounding zones.

The total population for the Whitford area will be approx-imately 250,700.

This 3D map shows the intensified density zones at dif-ferent heights.

4. FINAL PROPOSALSCHOOLING ZONE PROXIMITY

4. FINAL PROPOSALDWELLINGS VS. OPENSPACE

density types

0 1 2 3 40.5Kilometers

existing MUL

new_MULhousing area

other area (roads, open space etc)

The pie chart represents dwellings vs. open space (op-portunities for agricultural use), for each density zone except the re-vegetated area which will be protected and preserved.

The low density zones have more potential for farming and agricultural use because the area is less populated and has more open space.

Another reason for this is because each lifestyle block in the low densities have around 1ha of land per block.

This map reinstates the Rurban setting.

While many of these zones are highly intensified the area that is taken up with dwellings and such is very low in comparison to the amount of space that is left for open space, roads, schools and agriculture.

A small portion of this extra area will be used as a 20m buffer (minumum) for stream and riparian areas.

Another use for these areas are roads, some of which already exist but there will be a need to build more as the Whitford valley population increases over the next 40 years.

Open space (recreational spaces, parks and reserves) play an important part in the lives of New Zealanders as we are never located far from any of them. They also create an evironment for birds and New Zealand animals in which they can live happily.

This density map shows the proximity for the schools.

This was chosen as the best location for schools because of its close proximity to the Whitford, Brookby and Clev-edon townships as well as being 12km from the motor-way allowing those outside the Whitford valley area to attend school here also.

This would take approximately 10 minutes from the mo-torway into the schooling zone.

It’s also in walking distance for the majority of Whitford.

4. FINAL PROPOSAL3D DENSITY ZONING AND CONCLUSION

4. FINAL PROPOSAL 5. REFERENCESREFERENCES USED WITHIN THE E-BOOK

By integrating various density types, native forest, open space and agricultural areas, the image and definition of the rurban lifestyle is able to be maintained.

Whitford is the most practical area for this as it has a wide variety of land form and vegetation which allows it to be used in many different ways.

The many different uses of this area will allow the 25% of people that will be arriving in Auckland in the next 50 years to be housed with sufficient space for agricultural use. This will mean that our aim of a Rurban environment will be accomplished in a way that will even allow for more development in the future if needed.

Top photo layout

Vista. (n.d.) Retrieved fromhttp://www.visions.co.nz/topofthehill/views.htm

Bottom photo layout

Brickworks Cafe Whitford. (n.d.) Retrieved fromhttp://brickworkscafe.co.nz/

1.What is the auckland plan. (n.d). Retrieved fromhttp://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/ABOUTCOUNCIL/PLANSPOLICIESPUBLICATIONS/THEAUCKLANDPLAN/Pages/theaucklandplan.aspx

2. Interactive boundary map. (2006) Retrieved fromhttp://apps.nowwhere.com.au/StatsNZ/Maps/default.aspx

3. Whitford. (n.d.) Retrieved fromhttp://www.pohutukawacoast.co.nz/Whitford-55.html

4. Kowloon. (2012). Retrieved 2nd April 2012, from Wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon

Ephesus case studyIntroduction to Phytoremediation of Contaminated Groundwater: Historical Foundation, Hydro-logic Control, and Contaminant Remediation. By James E. Landmeyer. page 121-122. Published September 15, 2011

WHITFORD VALLEYHIGH DENSITY DEVELOPMENT

Jessie Huston

CONTENTS

CONTEXT - AUCKLAND - EXTENDED MUL

FOCUSED ANALYSIS - VEGETATION - ASPECT - SLOPE - HYDROLOGY - NON-BUILDABLE

APARTMENT DEVELOPMENT -STAGE 1 -STAGE 2 -STAGE 3

FINAL GROWTH STRATEGY PLANS - MASTER PLAN - WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN - PLANTING PLAN

3D VIEWS

3-534-5

6-156-78-910-1112-1314-15

16-2116-1718-1920-21

22-2522-2324-2524-25

26-32

CONTEXT AUCKLAND REGION

New Zealand is full of history dating back to before 1130AD. To this day there are approximately 4.3 million people living in this country who are all from around the globe. There is a vast array of cultures which makes New Zealand a big tourist attraction and a popular country to live in.Auckland is known as the largest capital city in New Zealand. It currently houses approximately 1.5 million people.The Auckland region is full of potential with it’s rich volcanic soils, wide variety of plant species and its beautiful harbours and coastal beaches. The aim for Auckland is to make it one of the most livable cities in the world.

For this to happen there are strict measures that need to be dealt with:- population growth - keeping rural areas for particular Auckland residents - thinking about quality not quantity - creating the least amount of disturbances for ecosystem patches - making it easy for Auckland residents to travel throughout the city - keeping pollution to a minimum as there may be more cars in the future

By 2050, Auckland’s population will increase from 1.5 million to 2.5 million therefore doubling the amount of residents living in the city. This creates a series of issues as the Auckland City Council will need to decide where the people are going to live in the city. Our brief for the LAND6225 - Studio 5 paper is to find ways of designing a growth strategy for the Whitford, Clevedon and Brookby areas to fit 250,000 new resi-dents. We analysed the main landscape factors, elements, processes and patterns within this region, and decided to extend the MUL from its current location into the whitford valley.

Some reasons for this are:- it’s easier to extend the MUL to intensify our area - a compact city is the way to as it’s easier for residents to go into the city for work and/or leisure - it has large potential for different ways of living (this includes high, medium, low, commercial, and mixed development)- it has a variety of land form, which enables the range of developments mentioned above- even with at least 20% retired land (thats not even considered for development), there is enough space to accomodate the excess of Auckland’s population growth in the next 30years

Whitford is located towards the southern east area of Auckland central. It currently populates around 2000 residents. Majority of the area contains lifestyle blocks which have a value of $600,000 - $8,000,000.There are very few shops and the closest school in the area is in Clevedon which educates students from years 1-8.Our development will dramatically change these features, while increasing the natural environment and also following LIUDD principles making sure that the stormwater in this area is properly maintained and the EIS (effective impervious surface) is less than 15%

CONTEXT NEW MUL

density types


buildable areadensity_type

low density residential

mixed schools and low density res

medium density residential

mixed commercial and med/high density res

high density residential

revegetated land

existing MUL

new_MUL

0 1.5 3 4.5 60.75Kilometers

context of site

existing MUL

new_MUL

focused extent

buildable areadensity_type

low density residential

mixed schools and low density res

medium density residential

mixed commercial and med/high density res

high density residential

revegetated land

FOCUSED ANALYSIS VEGETATION

There are a few native vegetation patches that are located in this area.These are broadleaf indigenous hardwoods, and open canopy pine forest.They are located on the slopes of the hills in this area.These small patches of vegetation, will be protected, and areas around them revegetated into native forest

0 0.15 0.3 0.45 0.60.075Kilometers

vegetation

Broadleaved Indigenous Hardwoods

Deciduous Hardwoods

Forest Harvested

Indigenous Forest

Manuka and or Kanuka

Other Exotic Forest

Pine Forest - Closed Canopy

Pine Forest - Open Canopy

focused extent

FOCUSED ANALYSIS ASPECT

In order to create a desirable place or residence for the people living here, aspect was taken into consideration.Any south facing slopes (as shown here in red) were to be retired, as they did not allow for sun onto the appartments, which would mean that many apartments would be in shade a lot of the time, and this was not something that i believe would entice those moving to Auckland to live here.

0 0.15 0.3 0.45 0.60.075Kilometers

south facing slope

focused extent

south facing slope

FOCUSED ANALYSIS SLOPE

For this area, the focus was using relatively steep, and elevated alopes to build on in order to create views for the site, so that every resident had amazing views into the valleys below, and out across the whitford area to the harbour.The red areas show the slopes that are over 25°, i decided that this was too steep to accomodate for easily acess to apartments via roads and walkways, so this land will be retired, and revegetated

0 0.15 0.3 0.45 0.60.075Kilometers

slope over 25 degrees

focused extent

slope over 25 degrees

FOCUSED ANALYSIS HYDROLOGY

This map, shows that this partivular site is located mostly in the Mangemangeroa Creek, and very slightly in the Turanga Creek catchments.It also shows that main waterflows over the site. in order to protect there areas from erosion, and to create a habitat for wildlife, these areas will be given a generous buffer, and will be revegetated into wetlands.This will protect these areas from erosion, and also allow for stormwater management of the site.

0 1.5 3 4.5 60.75Kilometers

hydrology

catchmentMangemangeroa Creek

Turanga Creek

hydrology

focused extent

FOCUSED ANALYSIS NON-BUILDABLE

This is a map showing the three levels of development potential of this site. The green areas are an accumulation of the non-buildable areas mentioned above (native vegetation, slop over 25 degrees, south facing aspect, and waterways.The orange areas, show what land is neither good nor bad, and is able to be built on if neccesssary, but it does not hav preferance.The yellow areas show the land that has good view, and is not affected by the features (mentioned above) that restrict development.The green areas will be used as wetlands, or native forest.The yellow areas will be built on.

non-buildable and viewnon-buildable

ok

good view0 250 500 750 1,000125

Meters

DEVELOPMENT STAGE 1 - INITIAL APARTMENT FOOTPRINT

From the above map, I developed this map, which shows the apartment footprints, which were created from the contours of the land here.This was to create organic looking apartments that flow with the land, and don’t distract from the environment, but rather enhance it.They are also positioned on steep slopes with varying elevation, in order to create a variety of views, without any building blocking the views of any other building.

5m contours

new, modified and existing roads

building footprintcar-parking

apartment housing

¬

0 250 500 750 1,000125Meters

5m contours



apartment housing

¬

0 250 500 750 1,000125Meters

DEVELOPMENT STAGE 2 - HYDROLOGY INFLUENCED APARTMENT FOOTPRINT

From the above map, I developed this map, which shows the apartment footprints, which have been adapted to allow for river/stream buffers of 20m either side.This was to create an environment that enhanced the view for the residents, and also to create a habitat for New Zealand wildlife, and native plants.The wetlands areas will also be used to treat stromwater run-off from the apartment blocks and roads.


car-parking

apartment housing

hydrology

0 250 500 750 1,000125Meters

DEVELOPMENT STAGE 3 - VIEW INFLUENCED APARTMENT FOOTPRINT

From the above map, I developed this map, which shows the apartment footprints, which have been adapted and I have removed the parts of the apartments that had little or no view.Any areas that were facing towards the south, or were looking back at the slope they were situated on, were removed.This was to create an environment that enhanced the view for the residents.



apartment housing

bad_view

0 250 500 750 1,000125Meters

This is my final MasterPlan of my site.

CYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN PATHWAYS - 4m wide pathways designed to be used by pedestrians and cyclists and will also be suitable for use by horses, as Whitford has a large industry in all things equestrian. These paths run all through the site, linking roads to buildings and to wetland & native forest areas.ROADS - 3 new roads hav been created joining the existing roads with the apartment buildings, and one road has been modified, from a large driveway into a road with 2 lanes for cars, and space for cyclists/pedestrians/hors-es.APARTMENT FOOTPRINTS - these show the general layout of the apartment building proposed for this site. Each apartment building is split in half, the southern half being devoted to car parking for residents, and will be 4-5 floors high, and con-tain at least 2 carparks per apartment. the residential part of the apartment is located on the north facing side, so it gets full sun during the day, and is also in the prime site for amazing views out to the valley wetlands, and in the more elevated apartments, out into the harbour. The height of these apartments will be 7 floors, except for the building in the southwest corner of the site, which is only 6 floors. They have a combined footprint of over 6.5ha, and with 6-7floors, can house just under 11000people. The segmented apartments are connected by glass walkways, which allow for more views for the residents.NATIVE VEGETATION - combination of native trees, shrubs, ferns and flax.WETLANDS/RIPARIAN - combination of various grasses, reeds, flax and ferns

FINAL DEVELOPMENT PLANS MASTERPLAN

UNCHANGED LAND

WETLAND/RIPARIAN PLANTING

ROADS

NATIVE VEGETATION

APARTMENT FOOTPRINTS

CYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN PATHWAYS

FINAL DEVELOPMENT PLANS STORMWATER MANAGEMENT, AND PLANTING PLAN

The EIS (Effective Impervious Surface) of this site will be reduced to well below the required 15%, as the less than 8ha of impervious surface from the roads, walkways, and buildings, is more than catered for in the 80or so ha of native forest, and wetland.the native forest planting will be made up of a mixture of - Dacrycarpus ustulatus (kahikatea) - Cordyline australis (cabbage tree) - Laurelia novae-zelandie (pukatea) - Leptospermum scoparium (tea tree, manuka) - Agathis australis (kauri) - Alectyon excelsus (titoki) - kunzea ericoides (kanuka) - Meryta sinclairii (puka)and the wetland/riparian planting will be made up of a mixture of - Apsdasmia similis (jointed rush, oioi) - Baumea articulata (jointed twig rush) - Bolboschoenus fluviatilis (marsh clubrush) - Carex germinata (cutty grass) - Coprosma robusta (karamu) - Cortaderia fluvida (toetoe) - Elatostema rugosum (paratawha) - Elocharis acuta (spike rush) - Leptospermum scoparium (tea tree, manuka) - Melicytus ramiflorus (mahoe) - Leptospermum scoparium (Tea tree, Manuka) - Melicytus ramiflorus (Whiteywood, Mahoe) - Phormium tenax (NZ Flax, Harakere) - Schefflera digitata (Pate)

wetlands

native vegetation

new_pathways



apartment housing

0 250 500 750 1,000125Meters

3D VIEWS over view of site - looking from the north end

Whitford Valley Mix Development Stratergy LAND6225 studio5


IntroductionThe main proposal for the selected area is to be developed as a mixture of commercial and residential use. The chosen site is on the top area of the highlighted zone to illustrate the proposed development for the site. Whitford Park Road that leads to Brookby is to be developed for mainly commercial use that has buildings that range around two to five stories. The aim is to create more job opportunities to accommodate the future population in this area.


Site Selectionthe site boundaries are defined by the existing cadastral and the previous boundary line of the development plan.


Site Analysis

despite that Whitford has a range of existing commercial use such as real estate, accountant, dentist, service station, res-taurant, gift shop and furniture restoration its commercial and retail development is still considered largely absent.

Ayrlies Garden, one of New Zealand’s best-known gardens is located near Whitford and also Whitford Park Golf Club

The area has an enclosed transitional landscape ranging from flat to low lying coastal plains to steeply incised hill country which are part of the views of the countryside in the area.

Whitford Valley Mix Development Stratergy LAND6225 studio5 TopographySlopes of greater than 15 degrees occur through almost the whole site especially areas in the in both north west and south west corner and the flatter areas largely occur around the east corner. Hydrology3 main tributaries that feed into the Turanga Creek collect most of the site water runoff.

Existing Networkroads that run through the site are Whitford Road (connects to the life style blocks area)Whitford Wharf RoadWhitford Maraetai RoadWhitford Park Road (connects to Brookby)Sandstone Road (connects to the High density Apartments)

the area is less then 20min drive away from manukau and the nearest airport is Ardmore Airport which is 15min away while the International airport is 30min away.

Existing public transportNearest ferry service is 12min drive away and the only bus stop located on site goes to Botany Town Centre.


Retired and Potential areaThe plan shows the potential development area which is 61% of the whole site which is 117 ha is the bright green shade while the other shade is retired area which will be integrated into the strategy.


Retired land strategy in order to prevent further erosion, slopes greater than 15 de-grees will be revegetated with native forest planting and inte-grated as public amenities for recreational park.

Riparian BuffersTo avoid further erosion and sediment control, vegetation will be planted on ephemeral streams and water catchment gullies with the width of 20m and 10m.

Plantings Plan plants that are selected for riparian planting will be chosen from riparian planting guide given by the ARC (Auckland Regional Coun-cil).

Pioneers plants exampleFlax leaved sedge (Carex)Rautahi Flax Cabbage treeLace bark Kowhai RimuMahoeRewarewa


Potential Development Strategy

Chosen area consists of a mixture of commercial and resi-dent development.

Site development is planned in the order to sustain popu-lation growth in the area and to provide more job opportu-nities for people who lives around the site.

The development plan is divided into 5 different develop-ment zones

the south east area of the site will be reserved for educa-tional purposes such as schools and libraries etc.

the centre area near Whitford Park road will be for com-mercial and mix retail residential apartment buildings that range from 2 to 5 stories.

some area is reserved for local market development.


Housing Density

the terrace housing zone on the north west corner are planned for medium density living, 8 ha of the whole site consist of 364 housing dwellings.

High density zone on the south west corner are allocated on higher ground which is around 9ha contains tall apartment building around 4 to 5 stories to hold up to 100 dwellings in each building.


Revegetation

Green open space, which will be reserved for rec-reational use, are scattered around the develop-ment area to provide the residents with a quality lifestyle. integrated with native forest regenera-tion planting which is on slopes greater then 15 degrees will provide better amenity view for the area and benefit the ecological condition of the site which forms corridor linkage to native and exotic forest patches in other areas.


Network Circulation intensificationmore new roads are will be included into the site to accommodate the circulation development.

The main access route of the area which is Whitford Park road will be development to a wider width if 20-25m to accommondate more buses while the rest of the streets range around 6m to 15m depending on developed area to accommodate street parking, pe-destrian and cycle way.

Sandstone road will be extent to the width of 10-15m for the use of apartment residents for easy access into the commercial zonePublic transport hub will be placed in the commercial development area and bus route will be increased to suit current density development to provide better public transport facility.


commercial development

native forest revegetationrecreational park

retire and revegetation

terrace housing

20m/10m riparian planting

high density apartmenteducation development

walkway + cycleway

public transport hub

mix retail residential building development

Master Plan

- Buffer waterways and ephemeral streams- Retired slopes over 15% and revegetate to prevent erosion- Create public open space network for people to enjoy quality and rich ecological value amenity living - Invigorate local business and provide job opportunities.


Contents The Wider Context

To this day there are approximately 4.3 million people living in this country who are all from around the globe. There is a vast array of cultures which makes New Zealand a big tourist attraction and a popular country to live in.

Auckland is known as the largest capital city in New Zealand. It currently houses approximately 1.5 mil-lion people1.

The Auckland region is full of potential with it’s rich volcanic soils, wide variety of plant species and its beautiful harbours and coastal beaches. The aim for Auckland is to make it one of the most livable cities in the world.

For this to happen there are strict measures that need to be dealt with:

- population growth- keeping rural areas for particular Auckland residents- thinking about quality not quantity- creating the least amount of disturbances for ecosystem patches- making it easy for Auckland residents to travel throughout the city- keeping pollution to a minimum as there may be more cars in the future

The Wider Context Page 3

Introduction

Density types Page 4-5

My Development Site Page 6-7

Analysis

River, Riparian and Road Buffers Page 8-9

Slopes >8%, South Facing Slopes and Native Forest Page 10-11

Potential Buildable vs. Non- Buildable Land Page 12-13

Development Riparian Land Page 14-15

Revegetated Land Page 16-17

Retired Land Page 18-19

Circulation Network Page 20-21

Housing Lots Page 22-23

Final

Master Plan Page 24-25

Stormwater Management and 3D Perspectives Page 26-27

Introduction

The last project consisted of five unique density types. High, mixed commercial with medium-high, medium, mixed schools and low and low lifestyle density. The thought process for the revegetated areas came from slopes that were higher than 15% as well as existing native forest. Our group’s idea was to extend the current MUL into the Whitford valley and to intensify it with different residential areas. We chose this idea because it was more practi-cal to extend the MUL rather than creating a satellite town i.e. Clevedon and Brookby. This provided a close network with central Auckland as well as other large networks like Manukau and East Tamaki, which allows a close proximity for those who work outside of our area. However, our aim is to pro-vide our area with commercial densities such as schools and super markets which created jobs for those living in the Whitford valley.

Project 1 Density Types

Jasmine's, May's and Jessie's Sites ±


Introduction To Low Residential Site

My site will contain low density, life style blocks in the Whitford valley. My aim is to provide an ecological environment integrated with the residen-tial area and to find ways on how they can connect to each other. Although the life style blocks are much smaller than the original ones currently in the Whitford valley, I want to provide a sense of richness and quality in the area. I would like there to be a reasonal amount of open space so provide amenity for the residents. It will be interconnected with the commercial density so it will be easier for the residents to travel for purchasing needs. This can be done by walking, driving and/or cycling.

Integration of Low, Commercial and medium - high, and high

Analysis

The first step I took with my analysis was to find the existing rivers, roads and riparian areas. There are three main rivers with run along the edge of my site in which I created a 40m buffer, 20m each side. This is provides the rivers with clean water as the riparian planting filters the water before it goes into the sea. It also creates amenity for residents living in the area. The main roads are about 16m wide which provides walkways on either side. The northern and eastern sides of my site run alongside a catchment. With this area I planted another buffer of about 30m to provide a filter for any water runoff that runs through.

River, Riparian and Road Buffers

0 500 1,000250Meters

Legend10m Road Buffer

30m Riparian Buffer

River

40m River Buffer

±

River, Riparian and Road Buffers

This map consists of slopes that are greater than 8% as well as south facing slopes and native forests. The central and northern area is relatively flat which provides me with a buildable area. There is very little native forest on site with a small amount of south facing slopes. About half of the site has slopes greater than 8% which can be shown in red.

Native Forest

South Facing Slopes

Slopes >8%

Analysis

Slope >8%, South Facing Slopes and Native Forest

Analysis

After combining the six maps, I was able to see my buildable vs. non-buildable land. The overall site was 144ha with 100ha of buildable land and 44ha of non buildable but this will dramatically change after I retire more land. At the time this only included slopes greater than 15% rather than 8%. The red area looks to be more than half of the site which will be considered as non- buildable. The riparian, river buffers, slopes greater than 8% and south facing slopes will all be retired and/or revegetated. These would be the protected areas. The green area is the potential buildable area.

Potential Buildable vs. Non- Buildable Land

Development

When the river and riparian buffers were identified, I revegetated all the small gullies that run into the residential area to create a integration of na-ture and housing. The main river buffers were kept as 40m to provide a filtering system for water runoff. The small gullies that run into the middle of the site have a buffer of 30m, 15m each side in order to protect them. The dark green patch south of the site is of a steep hill which could create visual amenity. The overall riparian land could provide educational values well as well ecological corridors into other areas. The riparian land decreases the chances of flooding, pollution, erosion and large sediment deposit. This also increases the quality for residents living in this area.

Riparian Land

This land shows areas with slopes that were greater than 8%. I chose to revegate this land because it is too steep to build on and it is unable to be-come open space as people won’t be able to use it for recreational activities. However, It creates visual amenity because people tend to like living in close proximity to forests and streams. The revegetated land is integrated amongst the riparian land and my next step was to find how people could use the site. These areas provide a barrier against erosion.

Development

Revegetated Land

Development

All the vegetation patches helps to manage the erosion prone slopes as long as they are managed properly. This means that there must be the least amount of disturbance made within the site. Planting vegetation is more cost effective rather than putting in pipes and sewerage facilities to clean the water. It also looks more appealing to those living in the area. My site has the potential for high ecological richness which the variety of plants that will be planted. It could also be a habitation for birds and/or a corridor if birds were to pass through.

Planting Plan

Riparian Margins

- Macropiper excelsum, kawakawa. Grows up to 4m and prefers shade.- Coprosma robusta, karamu. Grows up to 2-4m and has wide tolerances from shade to full sun. Provides berries for birds in autumn.- Carpodetus serratus, putaputaweta. Grows up to 6m and provides habitation for the puriri moth. Tolerates wet sites.- Cordyline australis, cabbage tree. Grows up to 8m and is an exceptional tree to help with erosion prone stream banks.- Melicytus ramiflorus, mahoe. Grows up to 10m and is an exceptional tree to help with erosion prone stream banks. Provides fruit for birds in summer.- Sophora microphylla, kowhai. Grows up to 10m and is a useful tree for erosion control. Its yellow flowers attract tui.

Other revegetated areas

- Hoheria populnea, houhere. Grows up to 12m and provides kereru birds with food during winter. Some native birds use the bark for nesting purposes.- Kunzea ericoides, kanuka. Grows up to 12m and provides habitation for some bird species.- Sophora microphylla, kowhai. Grows up to 10m and is a useful tree for erosion control. Its yellow flowers attract tui.- Aristotelia serrata, fivefinger. Grows up to 8m and can handle most conditions. It provides some birds with purple fruit.- Vitex lucens, puriri. Grows up to 20m and provides food for bellbirds, tuis and kereru all year round.- Hedycarya arborea, pigeonwood. Grows up to 12m and has popular fruit for kereru. Requires shelter from wind for smaller plants.- Podocarpus totara, totara. Grows up to 30m and survives well in different conditions. Also provides orange-red fruit eaten by many native birds.

ReferencesStreamside Planting Guidehttp://www.arc.govt.nz/albany/fms/main/Documents/Environment/Plants%20and%20animals/Riparian%20Planting%20Guide.pdf

Final Protected Land

Development

The circulation network is a combination of walkways/cycleways and roads. After configuring the vegetation on site I tried to find ways of how the roads and cycle/walkways can flow through the site. My though process for the cycle/walkways were for them to follow the edge of the riparian mar-gins throughout the site and into May’s. They flow along the edge of the site to provide good views into the wider landscape and nature intended views. If one wanted to go the commercial area in May’s site, they could by following the outside riparian margin. There are three existing roads that run into my site. Whitford Road is the most dominant which flows into May’s site and straight towards the commercial area which gives a direct link for the residents in my site. Whitford Road also connects up to Botany Downs which is another direct route. Kelly Road and Wade’s Road connect up from Whitford Road. I have placed more roads into my site in a grid like form. I prefer a grid like site because it’s a straight forward way to move around rather than an organic road that lengthens the drive.

Circulation Network

Development

My housing lots were integrated after I had decided what areas needed to be retired. The land that I was left with, are going to be lifestyle blocks which are 2500m ². The single storey houses are 300m ² however, these aren’t the final design and position for the houses. There is a total of 108 dwell-ings. These houses are positioned well because they are surrounded by forests and some houses are able to look over towards the catchment. Some houses will also have a sea view. The houses that would have more value are those that are close to the rivers and riparian margins and close to the sea and/or have great sea view.

Lifestyle Blocks

Final Proposal

This is the final map that integrates the riparian margins, revegetated land, roads, walk/cycleways and lifestyle blocks. The overall site is 144ha. 27ha is used for housing and the remaining 117ha is retired land. This gives the ratio of 23:77 buildable vs non- buildable. The vegetated areas provide a link to other ecological patches. For the planting plan, the main plants and trees that were decided came from a variety of features they provide. Some pro-vide habitats and food for native birds such as the tui and kereru, they provide shelter and shade for other species that have a low tolerance for wind and sun, and they provide a beautiful landscape for the residents. It is as if the ecological shell portrudes through into the residential areas and inter-connect them. The circulation plan moves throughout the site, making it easier for residents and visitors to travel through. It also extends into the wider landscape with a direct route. The overall population is 432.

Master Plan

Final Proposal

Master PlanStormwater Management

Although the stormwater management is part of the next project. A few ideas have emerged to manage stormwater run off. The buffers help to filter the water and slow run off before it enters the sea. It also helps prevent erosion and sediment build up. The life style blocks have enough land for a rain tank which catches the water. The non potable water can only be used for toilets, gardening and laundry. Swales could be inserted along the roads and within residential lots to filter pollutants and they look like a natural feature. The reasons why I placed the houses close to the road is because it shortens the length of the driveway which carries pollutants from soil and tyres. The materials used could be gobi blocks which are a type of pervious paving.