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Auckland's CBD Into the Future

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The strategy and action plan

Auckland's CBD Into the Future strategy sets out the vision and principles to guide the transformation of the CBD into an internationally successful business and cultural centre. The accompanying three year action plans describe what we will do to get there. The 2004 - 2007 action plan is complete and the 2008 - 2011 action plan is being implemented.

The vision

A high-quality urban environment

A world-class centre for education research and development

A place that feels like the heart and expresses the soul of Auckland.

People's experience of Auckland's CBD will reflect the energy of Auckland as one of the most cosmopolitan cities of the Pacific. The CBD's character will be distinctively 'Auckland'. This will be evident in the ethnic and cultural diversity of the people in the CBD, the kinds of events, the artworks and the architecture.

The council plans to protect and promote the city's heritage and to ensure that all new developments look and feel distinctively 'Auckland'. Artworks, events and street activity will be actively encouraged in a bid to bring life back to the streets.

Working together

Auckland City is committed to ensuring that Auckland's CBD is and remains the best it can be. To do this we are planning ahead, and identifying and addressing current issues as well as future risks. We are also making strategic investments in the CBD aimed at creating a climate of confidence that will encourage businesses to expand and invest in the CBD - as has happened at the Viaduct Harbour.

Auckland's CBD Into the Future strategy provides the framework to guide our planning and investment. It is the product of consultations and workshops with a wide range of CBD stakeholders and the public. As a result, the vision is a shared one and the strategy reflects jointly identified issues and priorities.

The vision for the CBD is not something that Auckland City will achieve on its own. It will require the commitment and participation of all of the CBD's stakeholders.

Auckland City Council will continue to consult and work with the CBD's businesses, residents, investors and visitors to find out what they think needs to happen to achieve the vision.

It will also ensure that its work in the CBD is coordinated with other citywide and regional plans and projects, particularly the planning for transport and economic development. The council recognises that the way it manages growth and development in the CBD will form a blueprint for positive and sustainable growth in the rest of the city and region.

The full documents in pdf format

You can download the strategy and action plan 2004 to 2007 below in pdf format.

CBD Into the future: action plan 2004 - 2007
Auckland's CBD Into the future: action plan 2004 to 2007 - cover to page 2 inclusive (704kb PDF)
Auckland's CBD Into the future: action plan 2004 to 2007 - pages 3 to 5 inclusive (424kb PDF)
Auckland's CBD Into the future: action plan 2004 to 2007 - pages 6 to 8 inclusive (363kb PDF)
Auckland's CBD Into the future: action plan 2004 to 2007 - pages 9 to 11 inclusive (430kb PDF)

Action plan 2008 – 2011

This action plan is the next step after the Action Plan 2004 – 2007. It identifies and priorities the actions that the council will take, either by itself or with others, to help create the CBD of the vision.

The vision is a call to action. It forms the framework for planning for the CBD's future.

The plan has five outcomes, which will set the Auckland CBD apart from other cities and what the council wants to achieve for it.

The Auckland CBD will be:

recognised as one of the world's premier business locations
a high-quality urban environment
the most popular destination for Aucklanders and visitors in the region
a world-class centre for education, research and development
a place that feels like the heart and expresses the soul of Auckland.

CBD Into the future: action plan 2008 - 2011
Auckland's CBD Into the future: action plan 2008 to 2011 (998kb PDF)

The consultation process

What the CBD's key users told us

The draft Auckland's CBD Into the Future strategy and action plan went out for consultation with the CBD's key users (residents, businesses, investors and visitors) from December 2003 to January 2004. During this period, Auckland City Council staff met with over 20 groups, held three open forums, and spoke with more than 100 people.

The main purpose of the consultation was to:

check whether we had 'got it right'
identify the key challenges that Auckland's CBD is facing
identify the ways in which Auckland City Council, along with other organisations and businesses, can address these challenges
assess whether the strategy and action plan had adequately identified and prioritised the challenges and actions
make any necessary changes to the strategy and action plan before going out for public consultation in March 2004.

The main challenges identified by the CBD's key users were:

difficulty in accessing the CBD
traffic congestion and domination by vehicles
addressing safety concerns
quality of developments, particularly apartment buildings
ability of existing regulatory control to deliver quality outcomes
the existing Queen St environment
links through the CBD
protecting heritage
achieving good urban design
access to the waterfront
making the CBD pedestrian friendly
developing an identity for the CBD
managing growth – both residential and economic
improving the 'look and feel'
the increasing influence of education, and its associated risks
improving the CBD as a tourist destination

Support was shown for:

the strategy as a whole
Auckland City Council showing leadership
the quarter development approach
the Queen St upgrade
public spaces and green spaces
events and activity
making the waterfront more accessible
the existing red bus
promotion and protection of heritage buildings
making the most of diversity

The CBD's key users requested that the strategy be modified to:

ensure linkages with regional and national strategies (particular reference to the Auckland Regional Economic Development Strategy (AREDs))
make explicit the role of the CBD regionally and nationally
acknowledge the significance of the education sector
build and create the character and identity of the CBD
revisit the existing measures, refine and strengthen them
strengthen the emphasis of the quarters and the links between them
ensure the consistency of facts
increase the visibility of urban design
address the tension between the desire for both commercial and residential growth in the CBD

To address the challenges mentioned above, the strategy has been changed to:

emphasise the importance of quality urban design and developments
review the regulatory tools with which council makes planning decisions (ie the district plan)
develop a 'masterplan/urban design framework (3D) for the CBD
acknowledge that Auckland City Council must show greater leadership
develop the role and enhance the interaction with the universities
facilitate destination and place marketing
look at benchmarking the CBD against other cities
address environmental and pollution issues

We have made explicit the positioning of the strategy in the context of both regional and national strategies, and its key role within the regional and national economy.

We have strengthened many of the existing actions to reflect the priorities of the stakeholders.

The following outlines specific strategies and/or action additions, listed by outcome.

Recognised as one of the world's premier business locations

Recognised as one of the world's premier business locations

Strategy:	Action
Support the education industry and its development where it is complementary to the key role of the CBD as a business service location	No new actions identified

A high quality urban environment

Strategy:	Action
Ensure good urban design throughout the CBD	Develop an urban design framework for the CBD including movement; open space; built form; character and activities; and publish a document which establishes the council's urban design strategy and vision for the CBD
Plan for and encourage new quality residential developments whilst balancing the needs for commercial and business growth	Assess the CBD residential growth targets in relationship to business growth targets
Encourage greater environmental sustainability in the CBD	Implement the central area access strategy action aimed at looking after the environment by reducing energy use, noise, pollution and congestion

The most popular destination for Aucklanders and visitors in the region

Strategy:	Action
Strengthen the marketing of the CBD as a destination	Work with key agencies to develop a coordinated, destination marketing plan

A world class centre for education, research and development

Strategy:	Action
Develop a strong strategic relationship between the city and the universities	Set up a working group between the city and universities to focus on progressing areas of mutual benefit
	Explore ways to enhance the links between the universities and the arts and cultural institutes

We also plan to address key CBD users concerns by:

engaging with key people and organisations, particularly the urban design community, at the early stage of the urban design framework development.
continuing to develop relationships with key CBD users, and continuing to work with them during project development and implementation

What the public told us

The public were invited to have their say on Auckland's CBD Into the Future strategy and action plan from 14 March to 2 April 2004. More than 260 public submissions were received, mostly from individuals. All feedback was considered for inclusion in the final draft of the strategy and action plan.

Auckland's CBD Into the Future strategy was adopted at the Strategy and Governance Committee meeting on 5 May 2004 and the action plan was adopted at the Strategy and Governance Committee on 1 July 2004. Transport was seen by submitters as the most significant challenge for the CBD, with 45 per cent of comments asking for improved public transport options and an end to the city's traffic congestion woes.

Improving the urban environment was seen as the next key challenge, with special mention made of the waterfront, inner city streets, residential buildings and safety.

Next on the priority list was the need to develop an identity and character for Auckland's CBD, improve the atmosphere of the CBD and retail experience, provide entertainment, leisure and recreation opportunities, address the city's diversity and protect and promote its heritage.

Reducing rubbish and improving rubbish collection in the CBD was also noted as an area of concern along with air pollution.

Auckland's CBD plays an important role in supporting both the region's and country's economy. Hence its success benefits all Auckland city residents regardless of where they live, work or play.

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