Eke Panuku Development Auckland are proposing to upgrade Huron and Northcroft Streets in Takapuna with a focus on improving the pedestrian and cyclist amenity. To assist in refining the design brief for the permanent works, Reset worked with Panuku to undertake a series of temporary street improvements. This took the form of a tactical urbanism approach using temporary elements in the street to enable ideas to be tested and trialled. Learnings from this exercise will then inform the second stage that will involve the design and construction of a permanent streetscape upgrade.
To enable the trialling of new ideas and configurations of these streets it was proposed to use temporary elements such as planters, pavement marking and sculptural elements. These were organised to provide temporary wider paths for the increased pedestrian numbers walking to and from the new carpark in a manner that provides appropriate social distancing.
As a minimum that tactical interventions needed to provide:
- a reduction in on street car parking to achieve a wider pedestrian movement zone on the southern side of Huron Street and the northern side of Northcroft Street
- 3.2m wide vehicular lanes
- two-way bus movement along Huron Street
- tour bus layover parks in Huron Street
- existing vehicular access to adjacent private properties retained
- some short term carparks
- mobility carparks
- loading bays
- a wayfinding system
Desirable outcomes sought through the temporary reorganisation of the street included:
- The capacity for on street dining and retail activity
- New street trees and planting
- Amenity furnishings such as seats and community art
- Mid-block crossings
- Safer pedestrian crossings at intersections
- Reinforcement of the coastal proximity and connection to Takapuna Beach
Services Design Team Lead, Landscape Architecture, Urban Design, Construction Documentation, Construction Observation/QA
Team AR & Associates, TPC, LDP, Arborlab, DVQS
