Solving sprawlkland: How density and heterogeneity can create livelier and more accessible neighbourhoods

Abstract

Auckland had always had the ambition and potential to become one of the world’s most livable cities, but as housing prices continue to surge, its residents’ rights to adequate shelter are severely threatened. Many people in the Supercity have been adversely affected by the current housing crisis. Some are on the verge of homelessness, some are delaying starting families, and young Aucklanders have been haunted by an ever-present sense of financial anxiety as our neighbourhoods continue to gentrify and homogenize into havens for wealthy retirees and property investors. The age of first-home buyers is increasing, and without a place to call their own, many tasks become more difficult, starting families, career advancement, and in turn, forming the basis of Auckland’s future economic and social backbone. This thesis aims to explore and establish a resilient solution for the housing of Auckland’s struggling home seekers, critically questioning the formation of fluctuations in financial fabric of neighbourhoods. Juxtaposing affordable and luxury, the discourse investigates viable solutions and typologies that celebrate social and economic diversity in our neighbourhoods. Through the injection of heterogeneity into developing high-end neighbourhoods, the possibility for creating a platform for the voiceless to express a lasting identity, can be researched, analyzed and discussed. The traditional Kiwi quarter-acre dream is now dead, and for good reason; it is severely unsustainable in a constantly developing and intensifying city. The old “not in my backyard!” adage is more destructive than ever as people refuse to densify this quickly growing city. Through deliberate investigation into the current housing landscape, this exploration proposes a context-appropriate scheme that can contribute to the creation of the affordable, livable city Auckland has always wanted to be.