The quality compact city has well-designed, high density/high amenity neighbourhoods where people can move from place to place and access local services and jobs with ease. This type of urban form brings environmental, social and economic benefits.
Both the Auckland Plan 2050 and Unitary Plan have adopted a ‘quality compact urban form’ approach to accommodating growth in Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland. Key goals are to provide quality homes and places for residents and support a low carbon future as the city grows.
The ADM provides information and inspiration on how to achieve these outcomes in your project.
Our goal for Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland as “a place of wellbeing for all, that welcomes all” requires us to design with health, safety, accessibility and inclusivity in mind. We can wrap those up into a single term – ‘liveability’. Improved liveability is an outcome we can aim for in everything we design and build, from the internal layouts of our houses to masterplanning new neighbourhoods. It’s critical to the future success of our city and people that we keep moving towards this goal.
The ADM contains a wealth of information on this broad topic. For example, you’ll find guidance on how to incorporate Māori design principles into your project; how to design housing for people’s everyday needs; how to create a sense of place and strengthen communities; how to cater to people with a range of abilities and make the everyday easier for caregivers, and much more.
Changes to the Unitary Plan are underway to help ensure that Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland grows in a way that lessens the impacts of climate change. These changes align with The National Policy Statement on Urban Development which says our cities must be made resilient to the effects of climate change. Guidance on how to implement climate resilient measures is woven throughout the ADM. We’re all obligated to play our part. The Case Studies, Design Guidance, Places and Spaces and Developing Infrastructure sections are great places to start understanding how you can contribute to a more resilient city.
Join the effort to build a better Tāmaki Makaurau and ensure that our buildings and neighbourhoods deliver the quality, liveable, compact and resilient city that Aucklanders need. In this popular section, you’ll find clear and comprehensive urban design guidance, lots of visual examples of best practice and a wealth of user-friendly and up-to-date info.
From climate resilience to Māori design, spatial and centre planning to parks, open spaces, and public art, this section shows you how your project can contribute to Tāmaki Makaurau’s sense of place and identity, community cohesion, and mental wellbeing.
Need a helping hand to guide you through the design and consenting processes? This section provides information on the Auckland Urban Design Panel process, ‘how to’ guidance on Landscape assessments and Design statements, and checklists to ensure that your resource consent application has everything it needs.
The Auckland Unitary Plan (AUP) is the ‘rulebook’ that shapes the way Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland grows. This hub includes Unitary Plan practice and guidance notes, Resource consent conditions, Resource consent checklists, and how to interpret the Auckland Unitary Plan Mana Whenua provisions, including the rules that trigger the need to consider effects on mana whenua values.
Thinking about water, streets, earthworks or coastal hazards? Find guides, codes of practice, specs and checklists to assist with the development of your infrastructure projects here.
Keen to future-proof your project? Find info and inspiration on how to build well-designed, resilient and sustainable buildings that generate strong liveability outcomes for our people, create a sense of place and identity for our communities, and meet the demands of our changing city.
