Out west we planned our future in a comprehensive and visionary way. Waitākere City Council knew the importance of investing in public transport and in ensuring that growth was managed well.
We invested in New Lynn and Henderson and planned for job growth by securing the new town centre of Westgate. Now that we are amalgamated, the challenge is to continue this wise planning for the whole region.
Greg Clark, global advisor on cities and investment, visited Auckland recently and talked of the importance of balancing ‘growth up with growth out’.
Of equal importance is the need to spread intensive development sensibly across all of the Auckland region, making the most of our investment in expensive infrastructure like rail and future light rail.
It is sensible to invest our rates across the region and not just focus intensification in the west and the south.
