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At Takanini, on the extreme southeastern edge of the Auckland metropolis, the kind of medium-density housing envisaged under the region's 50-year growth strategy is springing up. McConnell Properties is building 1500 terraced and detached homes at densities of up to 25 per hectare to a masterplan which promotes "a sense of space".
The Addison development runs hard up against the metropolitan urban limit but is handily located close to the railway line, southern motorway and Papakura town centre.
Although far from completion, Addison is being touted as a benchmark for community-minded suburban intensification in New Zealand. The masterplan included pedestrian and transport-friendly roads, houses that face the street or communal open spaces, and low-impact stormwater treatment.
A report for the Ministry for the Environment finds Addison "generally adheres to good design principles, with walkable neighbourhoods of interconnected streets and open spaces. A neighbourhood of this scale will increase the viability of local shops and services."
The case study by Boffa Miskell finds the development has "a strong sense of community, and is attracting an increased diversity of people to Takanini."
Lot sizes average 270sq m. "It's twice the density of the average suburban development," says McConnell chief executive Martin Udale. "We saw it as an opportunity to do something different."
But Addison has been a learning curve for both developer and the Papakura District Council. Critical infrastructure issues were not addressed and the masterplan wasn't finalised before work began - leading to many resource consent and design hurdles.
It was supposed to be a transit-oriented development with cycle lanes connecting to a new railway station. But there's no sign of the new station or bus services, ensuring a car dependency that will be difficult to change in the future, says the case study.
Udale says it's disappointing public transport couldn't be brought on stream in time - "New Zealand is one of the most car dependent societies in the world. If we're going to have a more intensive city we have to have public transport."
Nearby, on the former Papakura military camp, the company is planning with Housing New Zealand and the NZ Housing Foundation for a subdivision which will mix state housing, affordable housing and homes aimed at the higher income bracket.
Across the other side of the motorway, an upmarket subdivision, Karaka Harbourside Estate, is unfolding on the edge of the Manukau Harbour. Once pasture, it is abutted by lifestyle blocks and development was allowed only after the Auckland Regional Council eased the metropolitan limits.
Fifty kilometres across town, the regional council has also eased urban limits to allow 3000 homes to be built on the Hobsonville airbase and a mixed-use town centre opposite Westgate.
It seems perverse that with Auckland supposedly turning inwards to become a compact city, most substantial housing developments are occurring on the outskirts. These fringe developments would also seem unlikely to improve housing affordability in Auckland City and on the North Shore, where price rises are demand-driven.
