WellUrban / November 2007
Personal reflections on urbanism, urban life and sustainable urban design in Wellington, New Zealand.
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Density done right: The Altair
- WellUrban
- It's been a while since I've written a post in this occasional series, but that's partly because there are depressingly few good recent examples to choose from. I've been looking for exemplary inner-suburban infill developments, and while this one is stretching the definition a bit, other infill developers could learn a lot from it.The Altair townhouse development in Newtown's Rintoul St is, at three storeys, what I would call a low-rise medium-density development.
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Newtown, Wellington, Wellington City, Wellington, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)
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Back to the Promenade
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- After being closed for reconstruction for most of the year, the Tug Wharf Promenade at Kumutoto reopened this morning. Apart from new lighting and seats, the main feature is a new bridge, supported by a "Cradle" at one end and a "Crane Tower" at the other.
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Visible and risible
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- There was a shock horror scoop in the Dominion Post today, with the headline Wind farm 'visible from Island Bay to Waikanae'. A leaked report purports to show that the proposed Puketiro wind farm would be visible from all across the Wellington region, and a spokesperson for a group called "Preserve Pauatahanui" said that "the leaked information shows that all Wellingtonians should be concerned".Does this mean that the wind farm will be a dominating presence across the region? Hardly.
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Growing a spine
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- I've mentioned the "urban spine" concept many times before, and the expectation that much of Wellington's population growth will occur along a relatively compact corridor extending from Johnsonville via the CBD and hospital to the airport. The consultation and planning process has already started for Johnsonville, and now attention is moving to the southern parts of the city with the "Adelaide Rd - Planning for the Future" process.
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Newtown, Wellington, Wellington City, Wellington, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)
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Awarding
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- File under: events, awards, Wellingtonista, architecture, WellingtonIt's that time of year again: time for the Wellingtonista awards. The very organised and energetic Wellingtonista people (and me) have put out the call for your votes on the best (and occasionally worst) in Wellington in many vital categories, such as Best Coffee Beans, Hottest Hospo and Supervillain of the Year. WellUrban readers may be most interested in categories such as Best Building, Best Public Space and Best Public Art, but I'm sure that awards such as Best Apparel Store and (of course) Best Drink will also grab your attention.Voting will run from Monday the 19th until December the 4th, followed by a stupendous awards party on December the 6th.
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Building rumours 20: The Victoria Quarter
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- There hasn't been much publicity about this, but it could be one of the biggest developments, residential or otherwise, to hit Wellington in a long time.It's called the "Victoria Quarter", and it's planned to take up all of the large vacant site that currently hosts the Sunday market, bordered by Victoria, Vivian and Willis streets.
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Waterfront fatigue
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- No doubt many of you have had your fill of waterfront posts, but there was a slew of ill-informed letters to the editor in today's Dominion Post that I felt compelled to reply to. There are too many specific errors and misinterpretations to fit into in a 200-word rant, and I thought I'd try to tone down some of my usual vitriol, so I tried to offer a constructive discussion of why good public space design is more subtle and complex than just leaving as much empty space as possible.
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Last chance feedback
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- Feedback on the Frank Kitts Park and Kumutoto schemes closes today, so if you haven't done so, today's your last chance to pop down to the Waterfront Project Information Centre and give your feedback.
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