Central City Housing or Central City Living? A study of how statutory and non-statutory planning provisions address the tensions around urban intensification : A Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Planning at Lincoln University

Abstract

Calls for more compact, higher-density cities have been increasing due to concerns about the sustainability of urban areas. However, policies aiming to achieve higher-density urban areas have often faced significant opposition from residents who feel that such developments will not meet their needs. As a result of such opposition, it has been suggested that a more collaborative planning approach is required to ensure that higher-density developments are also liveable. In light of these calls for greater collaboration, this research aimed to examine the nature of collaboration needed to better address tensions around urban intensification. To do this, the research examined the nature of collaboration currently used for planning in a Christchurch neighbourhood known as the Inner City East. The research then examined the extent to which planning was addressing tensions around urban intensification in the Inner City East. The results from this research indicated that current planning approaches were not always achieving urban intensification that supported good community outcomes or met the needs of Inner City East residents. This was seen to be due to a number of factors including a lack of coordination between plans, and a strong focus on the natural and physical environment. The results of this research supported the notion that planning for urban intensification could benefit from the use of a more collaborative approach. Specifically, it was found that a collaborative approach that enabled deliberation and discussion both within and between governments, communities, and other stakholders could help to achieve more coordinated, place-specific plans, and more liveable and widely accepted forms of urban intensification. This research also identified placemaking as a concept that could be of particular use in relation to planning for urban intensification. This is due to its ability to bring governments, communities, and other stakeholders together to integrate various agendas and to develop a shared sense of place, whilst also helping to form relationships between groups and to build collective decision-making capacity.