Growth in New Zealand’s cities has often prioritised lower density development, putting pressure on the ability to justify investment in infrastructure, both now and in the future. This has significantly contributed to the country’s current national infrastructure and housing crisis.
A proactive and sustainable planning model, which strategically co-locates infrastructure with urban development, has already been successfully implemented both in New Zealand and overseas. This approach addresses these needs and delivers the best value for money. It is known as creating strategic growth corridors.
This white paper, co-authored by Arup and the Urban Development Institute of New Zealand (UDINZ), outlines the urgency of creating strategic growth corridors in New Zealand and argues that existing financing tools, such as development contributions, are insufficient to meet the capacity demands of new growth. Specifically, there is a need to begin allocating land for integrating high-quality transport systems that will support and enable intensified, mixed-use urban development, supported by a value creation and value capture model.
The report includes examples of strategic corridors which show us what can be achieved when transport investment is considered as a city-shaping agent for change. This includes the Southern Auckland Economic Masterplan (designed to guide the sustainable economic growth of the Drury Ĺpaheke and surrounding areas), Crossrail/the Elizabeth Line in London, and Sydney Metro Corridor Growth Planning. These examples demonstrate that value creation and value capture, which is timed right and embedded in the lifecycles of projects, can attract diverse funding and deliver on a coordinated vision for integrated urban development.
