Where does water go? The Sustainability of Urban Stormwater Management in Auckland

Abstract

This thesis explored the effects of urban growth and development on Auckland’s urban stormwater. Changes in global urbanisation patterns have meant urban ecosystems have become highly susceptible to the ongoing negative effects of rapid urban growth, intensification and poor development practices, which all contribute negatively to the sustainability of a region. With appropriate stormwater management an important component of urban sustainability within Auckland, there is a need to safeguard the environment from the negative effects associated with urban development, including the discharge of wastewater and stormwater into waterways. This research utilised a two-pronged approach to explore urban sustainability through a sustainable development lens. The negative effects of Auckland’s urban growth and development on stormwater were examined, along with the institutional constraints and implications for the slow uptake of more sustainable forms of urban water management. A qualitative case study approach of Auckland was adopted. The methods used included semi-structured interviews and policy analysis to examine urban sustainability through sustainable urban water management and low impact urban design and development, as was implemented at Long Bay on Auckland’s North Shore. This research analysed Auckland Council’s approaches to development and stormwater management, and identified objectives and strategies to sustainably manage urban water in light of projected urban growth. The need for greater government coherence and a shift from apolitical and siloed approaches of urban water management to those that are integrated, holistic and address the underlying institutional causes of poor stormwater management were shown to be important. The move by Auckland Council to create more robust policies and a consistent set of rules for the Auckland region, by way of the Auckland Plan and Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan, has created policies that attempt to achieve sustainable development by integrating urban water management in a sustainable way. My research supports evidence that these low impact and sustainable approaches to stormwater management are highly technocratic; however, knowledge interventions, education and the breaking-down of institutional silos are necessary for urban sustainability to advance. Keywords: urban sustainability, stormwater management, sustainable urban water management, sustainable development, low impact urban design and development.