Streets for People Streets for People
Creating a healthier future by putting people and place at the heart of our streets.
About Streets for People
The Tāmaki Makaurau Streets for People programme aims to make on and off-street changes, designed and delivered with communities, that result in more people choosing safe, low-carbon, active trips.
Streets for People uses an ‘adaptive urbanism’ approach which uses temporary interventions to test versions of designs with local people in real-time. This approach puts people first, designing and testing with the users of the space affected rather than for them.
The project will use on and off-street interventions, designed and delivered with the local communities. On-street interventions may include testing new street layout changes, wayfinding signage, traffic calming or safer intersections. Whereas these on-street interventions focus on the physical environment, off-street interventions will work to increase confidence and capacity within the community, for example, locally-led group rides, bike skills training, or other community events.
Compared to traditional transport projects, these interventions are low-cost and low-risk, allowing our project team to better understand the wants and needs of the local community before making any permanent changes. All Streets for People projects will be completed by June 2024.
Auckland Transport’s Tāmaki Makaurau Streets for People programme is a part of the national Streets for People programme led and funded by Waka Kotahi. Auckland Transport was one of 13 successful applicants to this programme which will fund projects in both Kelston-New Lynn and Māngere.
About the project areas
During the funding application to Waka Kotahi, Kelston-New Lynn and Māngere were identified as key areas of interest for the programme due to overlapping opportunities and challenges in the two areas.
These projects will be developed alongside local people, schools and community groups to make sure the outcomes best reflect the unique local contexts. This means that the focus of the projects in each area will continue to shift and change based on these ongoing engagements.
Kelston-New Lynn
Projects in the Kelston-New Lynn area will explore opportunities to improve walking and cycling within the neighbouring suburbs of Kelston and New Lynn. There are three key areas of interest for this project; the Kelston schools cluster, the New Lynn town centre and the Rimu Street area which runs between them. By working with local schools (including students), community groups, and residents the Kelston-New Lynn project will discover new ways to improve safety, navigation and connectivity within the area.
Find out more at the Kelston-New Lynn Streets for People project.
Māngere
Projects in Māngere will work with local community groups to develop and trial safer opportunities for cycling in advance of expanding future cycle network across Māngere and Māngere Bridge.
This may include a temporary cycleway along Robertson Road, providing key connections between existing cycling facilities, local schools, Māngere Centre Park and a new temporary pump track. It may also explore a new trial cycleway connection between the popular Ngā Hau Māngere pedestrian bridge and the Māngere Bridge Village.
More information about this project coming soon.
Why adaptive urbanism?
An Adaptive Urbanism approach means that we can make changes to our streets more quickly, collaboratively, and affordably to meet the growing needs of Auckland’s neighbourhoods.
An example of this approach is Project WAVE, an adaptive urbanism project undertaken from 2021-2023 by Auckland Transport as part of the earlier Innovating Streets for People Programme with Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency.
This project included trialling a new street layout within the Viaduct that included a cycleway, a one-way system, and increased loading zones. The layout was adapted throughout the trial based on user feedback and monitoring. The success of the trial led to the construction of permanent infrastructure.
From top to bottom, you can see the original street layout, the adaptive urbanism trial changes, and the resulting permanent infrastructure.
The successes, opportunities and challenges identified by projects like Project WAVE and the wider Innovating Streets for People Programme have helped to shape and inform the current Streets for People projects.
Learn more about the Project Wave and the Innovating Streets for People programme.
Project budget & funding
The Waka Kotahi Streets for People programme is funded by $30m from the National Land Transport Plan. Applications for the programme were made by councils across the country with Auckland Transport emerging as one of 13 successful applicants who have been allocated funds for street change projects in their regions.
The Waka Kotahi Streets for People programme will fund 90 per cent of the $5.7m budget for Tāmaki Makaurau Streets for People. These funds will be used for community engagement, consultation, and co-design processes as well as the installation, feedback collection, and maintenance of temporary infrastructure across the two project areas. The remaining 10 per cent will be funded by Auckland Transport.
Temporary trials are a timely and cost-effective way of creating change on our streets. They play an important role in helping us make informed decisions for the long term, ensuring we find the best solutions for local communities. Wherever possible, the temporary infrastructure we use will be made from materials that can be reused or recycled, providing value for money and better sustainability.
To receive updates, ask questions or find out how you can get involved in the Streets for People project please email Streets4people@at.govt.nz