Anthony Grant: Civic leaders without vision

In Chicago a couple of weeks ago I was so inspired by the cleanliness of the city, the flowers, the parks, the lack of tagging, the absence of skateboarders, the magnificent architecture, and the general good order of America's third largest city, that it made me even more depressed about the lack of vision on the part of Auckland's mayor and council.

I resolved to meet Dick Hubbard and try to inspire him to achieve this city's potential.

I asked my secretary to organise a meeting with him. He is, after all, a man who has told the media that he holds constituency meetings with citizens.

She told me, after being passed from person to person, that I was to send an email in which I should explain the purpose of the proposed meeting.

I did that almost a week ago and there's been no reply. If Hubbard can't be bothered to meet me I can tell him through these columns what I want him to hear.

The mayor of Chicago has a passion for his city. Its citizens wait with expectancy when he goes away to learn what new initiatives he will bring back to enhance its appeal.

He has put its police on the two-wheel upright machines which are used in Paris. They scoot along the pavements and provide a ready police presence.

He likes flowers and has organised for the retailers in the main retail street - North Michigan Avenue or "the Magnificent Mile" - to have large planters along its length, filled with attractive plantings. North Michigan Avenue is a real main street in which Chicagoans can take pride.

The proposed plans for upgrading Queen St, by contrast, show an ignorance of what is needed to make Queen St appealing and impressive.

Chicago's architecture is world-renowned. Huge buildings rise with an awe-inspiring presence.

Our council fosters low-rise buildings with no landscaping around them, each of which is allowed to block the views of the others, and each of which is unlikely to have any architectural sympathy with the others.

If the mayor and council of Auckland had any vision for real architecture they would create rules which foster it.

The tagging of Auckland's walls, fences and street structures is a debilitating blight that is worsening daily. We are beginning to resemble the suburbs of Naples with its uncontrolled graffiti.

I saw no tagging in Chicago, not even in derelict lots. If a city the size of Chicago can beat tagging, why can't Auckland?

Our rates should be spent on initiatives like that rather than building housing for the poor - which is clearly the job of central Government.

In Freyberg Place and elsewhere in the city, skateboarders smash the seats, smash the pavers and drive peaceful citizens away. By contrast, signs in the Chicago CBD warn roller skaters and skateboarders that they will be arrested - and there were none.

It is a great shame that Auckland has not, since Robbie's day, had a mayor with a real vision for this city.

We have the Aotea Centre only because first Christchurch and then Wellington got modern town halls and it was embarrassing for Auckland not to have one.

Similarly with the new arena - Christchurch and Wellington had them first and it was too embarrassing for Auckland not to have one.

And the one that we're getting by Quay St is architecturally quite out of keeping with the other buildings in the area.

If only someone with a true concern and vision for this city was willing to stand for mayor.

* Anthony Grant is an Auckland lawyer.