Silverdale Strategy Plan2011

Connectivity and Integration

Proposed by Anna Bish, Rebecca Cray, Erin Fitzpatrick, Hailey Gill and Tanya Larson

1. The Region Auckland - Silverdale

2. Landscape Elements Natural, Physical and Cultural

3. Identifying Main Issues and Constraints Transport and Connectivity Case Studies

4. Growth Strategy for Silverdale Connectivity and Integration

5. References

Our aim is to achieve a well-connected landscape by increasing veg-etation cover; while integrating a rapidly growing population within and around the township of Silverdale. We will achieve this by addressing traf-fic congestion and the lack of vegetation in the area.

The Region1.Auckland - Silverdale

The Auckland Region is rich and diverse. It’s unique landscape, warm climate, multi-cultural population, and fantastic har-bours make it a highly desirable city to live in. Much of the ‘Kiwi’ lifestyle revolves around the coast which has caused a ‘spine’ of urban spread running north and south of Auckland city. This has made Auckland the most dispersed city in the world.

Recently, as the Metropolitan Urban Limits (MUL) have been reached, mixed use areas and intensification of land use have started to be utilised (Auckland Regional Council, 2010). Aucklander’s traditionally have lived primarily, in single-family dwell-ings. But with the increase of population that has been predicted by the Auckland City Council, some fairly blatant problems need to be addressed. Now, and in the years ahead, space, fuel consumption, its rising cost and traffic congestion are a few of the biggest problems Auckland face.

Presently the Auckland region has 439,083 occupied dwellings and 33,354 unoccupied dwellings. It is predicted by the Auck-land City Council, that 300,000 new dwellings will be necessary to house newcomers throughout the Auckland region by 2050.

New Zealand Auckland Region Larger Silverdale Extent

It is stated within the Auckland Regional Plan that all those migrating to the region should “have the opportunity to choose housing appropriate to their needs,” and, “there should be variety in the location, type of tenure, means of financing and style of housing so that people can exercise choice.” (Curtis, 1982, Page 13). This should include affordable housing that provides amenities such as public space, open space and sporting facilities. These dwellings need to be in areas that have a ‘sense of place,’ provide employment, schools, and healthcare, but also to a great extent be self-sufficient. In essence, we wish to produce “a city which does not look like, but does work like an ecosystem.” (Bogunovich, 2010)

Silverdale is situated 30 kilometres north of Auckland city. It is located on the north bank of Weiti River, inland from the Whangaparaoa Peninsula. It is the gateway to the Hibiscus Coast leading to a popular and busy tourist area. Originally called Wade, the area was thick with Kauri, and the town established

itself around the gum industry.

As the gum industry declined, the clay soils were grassed over, and the population became predominantly farming families. The name of the area changed from Wade to Silverdale, because of the number of Silverbirch planted. (Lietchfield, 1996)

Silverdale is presently undergoing a transformation with the aim of developing a new town centre, 3000 new dwellings (1% of the 300,000 dwellings required for Auckland), and a mixed commercial zone including retail and office areas, over the next 10-15 years.

The existing Silverdale is a metropolitan area with a low-density building footprint. It has a high-speed four-lane highway dislo-cating it and is not pedestrian friendly. The area lacks ecological connectivity. The current transformation plan hopes to solve

2. Landscape ElementsNatural, Physical and Cultural

The following maps look at Silverdale and the wider Auckland Region. A thorough investigation was made of the landscape, its natural boundaries, man-made inter-ventions and ecological habitats.

The existing dwellings tend to follow the rivers. Some areas have many parcels but only one or few dwellings.

The concentration of dwellings is on the coast, dispersing more as we get closer to the motor-way.

The number of dwellings close to the Hibiscus Coast Road are greater than the other inland areas.

Any building along the estuary, river and coast-al edges need to be carefully planned and

Most of the population live by the coast - in Orewa, Red Beach and Manly.

Dwellings on the Hibiscus Coast.

The northwest train route does not connect to Silverdale. The motorway serves Silverdale, providing access to its western side.

At present, there is very little development of minor roads in the southern areas of the map. They are mainly short residential roads with dead ends.

The main motorway and the minor roads fail to form a pattern with catchment boundaries and appear to be randomly placed.

It is interesting to note however, that many of the southern, northern and western roads on this map do tend to follow catchment boundaries, as does the rail network to some extent.

There are the obvious concerns for unnatural road placement: draiage, runoff, slips,and insta-bility, as well as accessibility and safety.

Ecologically, road placement has critical impact which needs to be thorougly addressed, before development proceeds.

Logistically, there are already huge concerns for Silverdale and Whangaparaoa Peninsula where a bottle-neck to the Whangaparaoa Peninsula

The Silverdale turnoff from the Northern motorway.

Silverdale’s water source comes from the Waitakere Ranges, via Auckland. There is an untapped water source southwest of Silverdale.

The map on,facing page,shows the many storm-water drains, and how they lead to the three waste water outlets and into the sea.

The following things enter the storm water and can have adverse affects on the waterways:

- Copper from vehicle brake pads- Roof run off- Oil, grease and fuel- Industrial and domestic chemicals and detergents- Garbage, dumping and spillage- Herbicides, insecticides and fertilizers- Domestic animal waste- Grey water (in some cases)

An existing storm water pond in Silverdale.

The Silverdale MUL does not correspond with the local catchment boundaries or rivers. It appears this boundary may have been formed using unnatural boundary means (i.e. motorway) rather than delineated by natural features of the topography.

The lack of a natural boundary incidence with the MUL makes it hard to define and even harder for others to see why development should be stopped at that particular place. There are pro-posals for an extension of the MUL.

There is one nearby water source which sits out-side of the Silverdale MUL. It sits at approximate-ly 9 kilometres to the south west of Silverdale, and is unused. The water supply for Silverdale is instead fed from Waitakere Ranges via Auck-land.

Silverdale borders the Western extent of the M.U.L. boundary.

Large flood plains exist to the south and west of Silverdale, with southern Silverdale facing possi-ble threats from a smaller flood plain which bor-ders this region.

Assessment of areas suitable for development in Silverdale should allow particularly for the south-ern flood plain area. Flooding occurs reasonably regularly along John’s creek as well as at Small Road bridge and culvert just south of the bridge (Rodney Council, 2010).

Pied Heron wading in the mudflats.

Silverdale is devoid of any significant natural habitats, although there are some significant natural habitats distributed to the south, west and north within close proximity.

The small sized bush lots along the western flank of Silverdale are reasonably insignificant in com-parison to other neighbouring bush lots.

Of interest is the connection between wading bird distribution and areas of high ecological value. This is important for Silverdale to plan for, as their waste and storm water is currently run-ning through some of eastern areas. Storm water flows via numerous creeks either side of the motorway. Most of it is discharged into John’s creek or an unnamed stream, and then flows into Weiti River out to Karepiro Bay and eventually into the Hauraki Gulf. Presently the discharge is considered low (Rodney Council, n.d).

3. Identifying Main Issues and ConstraintsTransport and Connectivity

The following maps depict issues involving transport, congestion and connectivity.

There are also issues with the ecological connectivity in Silverdale and the wider Auckland Region.

This map details areas of high traffic flow and con-gestion. The central intersection of Silverdale is our main concern, as well as the Northern Motorway which connects Silverdale to central Auckland. It is of great importance to us that public transport systems be set up to address these issues. And in the future, links can be added to this system to fufil the needs of population growth.

We have two priorities for our Structure Plan, rail is one of them.

The first rail lines were put down in 1870. These headed South and West of Auckland city, and even-tually headed North up the west coast. For the next seven decades, rail was heavily invested in. During the 1950’s, the motor vehicle became more accessi-ble to people. Planning of Auckland turned away from rail in favour of the motorway. Networks of sealed roads were built to reach every individual dwelling (Auckland Regional Council, 2010).

There has been a revitalization of the railway in Auck-land city (Isthmus and West). A massive upgrade of Britomart (the centre city bus and train station) has provided high quality and high frequency trains that has doubled the patronage since its completion in 2006.

“For quality of life, Auckland consistently ranks in the top 10 with cities such as Vancouver. However, in respect of infrastructure provision, Vancouver ranks fifth, Auckland ranks in the bottom group at 46” (Auckland Regional Land Transport Strategy, 2010).

Old train on the rural network.

Traffic congestion on the Harbour Bridge.

Our second priority for the Strucure Plan is veg-etation connectivity and integration of it within a growing population.The vegetation within the ex-tent we have been investigating suggests a lack of connected forest and bush cover. Birds are a main means of seed dispersal and connectivity within New Zealand’s forests. Without a connect-ed landscape, this vital process is restricted and in some instances becomes obsolete. The lack of vegetation also indicates riparian areas are not well protected against pollutants, are subject to erosion and additional sediment deposition.

Landscape Ecologists suggest that the threshold for vegetation coverage be 30% (in New Zea-land) to maintain bush vitality and healthy eco-systems. (Haines,March 2011). Our commitment to biodiversity and environmental responsibility requires us to ensure that forest and riparian vegetation remain a priority in any further devel-opment.

In the future, we believe the whole of Auckland should be looked at, it terms of connecting the eceological patches. But for now, we are just focusing on the expansion of Silverdale.

The disconnected ecological landscape of the wider Auck-land Region.

Vancouver, Canada, a city with a population of 2.1 million, began working rail into its pub-lic transport plans when preparing for the 1986 World Expo. It now boasts the longest automated light rail network in the world, and is publicly funded. The Sky Train runs frequently and each stop is linked to a network of buses that deliver passengers to their various destinations. There are no parking lots at these bus stations. The Sky Train links the CBD to the airport as well as to a sea bus that carries passengers across the harbour to West Vancouver. The sea bus does not have the capacity to carry vehicles. Everyday, 350,000 passengers commute by Sky Train. Rid-ership rose to 622,000 everyday during the 2010 Winter Olympics (Sky Train, March 29 2011).

Many other cities use rail as a main artery for public transport, i.e. Milano, Paris, London, and San Francisco.

Transport Case Study

The Sky Train commuting passengers through the landscape, next to the old train tracks.

Above the city streets, with snowy mountains in the background.

Ecological Case StudyProject Twin Streams, instigated by the Wait-akere City Council (in 2003), in conjunction with the people of Waitakere, is a “major and vision-ary environmental project,” (Thomas, 2007). The aim is to rejuvenate 56 kilometres of riparian land and enhance it aesthetically while encouraging the people of Witakere to use it and manage it. By planting predominantly New Zealand natives, managing stormwater, and providing barriers between streams and land for human use. These natives plantings will help prevent erosion and toxins entering the water-way. They have devel-oped storm water ponds to also help filter toxins.

Waitakere City Council purchased the portions of privately owned land to “reduce flooding hazards and become stormwater management reserves,” (Project Twin Streams, 2011). The Council have involved the community, local residents, schools and businesses to take an active part in caring for our streams (Project Twin Streams, 2011). Along the streams, 9.2 kilometres of walkways and cycleways have been installed to make a connection between the streams and users.

Since the project started, over 730,000 trees and shrubs have been planted in the banks by thou-sands of volunteers. Involving the locals in community planting days.

Families with children making use of the walkways and cycle ways.

4. Growth Strategy for Silverd-Connectivity and Integration

Movement and dispersal of humans and natu-ral systems.

Integration of ecological connections and transport systems.

Zoning in accordance with land use and natu-ral features.

This shows our proposed extensions of bush and significant natural habitats needed to increase ecological connection across the landscape. It is our intention that in doing this we will aid and enhance the movement and dispersal of species across the greater Silverdale region. This will in turn increase the species populations within this landscape area to give it a richer ecological framework.

This details the new types and routes of trans-port that we believe are necessary to support the growth of Silverdale. The new rail network now connects central, western and nor-western Auck-land, increasing logistical connectivity throughout the greater Auckland area.

It is our intention that this rail network will enable Silverdale to develop its commercial and indus-trial sectors, as well as establish and important public transport system.

The Penlink solution (which is currently a Trans-link proposal) is something we also support as a way to relieve motorway congestion at the Silver-dale intersection. It is a proposed 7km toll road from the Northern Motorway to Whangaporoa Road, on the Whangaporoa Peninsula, with a bridge over Weiti River. This proposal has had its funding cut by the present government, however it is possible that it will be reviewed in the future.

Our outcomes have some reliance on the pro-posals of the ANZAC Centenary Bridge, recently placed in the National Infrastructure Plan. It boasts two tiers, 10 lanes, walking and cycling facilites, along with two light rail tracks. It is to be a toll bridge, and a good incentive to use public transport.

The ANZAC Centenary Bridge, aimed to be completed in 2015.

The proposed Penlink, crossing Weiti River.

Here we are depicting the proposed ecological connections with our proposed transport routes. We felt it was necessary to integrate these two systems together. We regard them as the two most important and influential factors for the way we want Silverdale to develop.

The high importance we have placed on trans-port is essential for the Silverdale development. Without our proposed rail network and Penlink motorway extension, the development of the commercial and industrial sectors would be se-verely limited. Public transport would also be unsubstantial to support intense residential de-velopment within Silverdale.

We have integrated ecology into this transport idea as they essentially show the same things: movement and dispersal across a landscape. It is basically a case of nature and man coming together cohesively, to shape a more efficient, resilient and sustainable landscape.

This is a closer look at the way in which we want ecology and transport to integrate within the Silverdale context. As the light green indicates, there are many areas where we want to increase ecological connectivity. To do this we have linked up bush lots and significant natural habitat areas, particularly where they coincide with stream cor-ridors and estuarine banks. This increases the connectivity of the landscape, and also increases species ability to move freely and disperse seed across the landscape.

We have increased ecological corridors particu-larly at our new transport junction, this serves many purposes:

- Provides immediate conversion of carbon diox- ide vehicle emissions into oxygen.- Allows human appreciation of our scenic/natural reserves.- Limits human access to these bush sites, (no mo torway off ramps to them) allowing regeneration and succession to occur with minimal distur bance.

We want our ecological and transport solutions to provide a stable framework for the additional developmental areas that need to be integrated to form our Silverdale growth strategy.

An example of transport integrated with ecology.

At this micro scale map, we see the intensified ecological connections, transport, dwellings and land use cover for the Silverdale extent.

The land use cover is particularly relevant at this stage as we look towards formulating our growth strategy. The land use cover is the third most influential factor after ecology and transport. It drives the zoning of our Silverdale extent, as we want to use the land according to what it is best suited for.

This solves the common planning issue of pro-ductive land becoming locked up by develop-ment. By using the land through its pre deter-mined use we will maximise the efficiency of the landscape, and make it more sustainable and resilient (future – proofing).

From our ecological and transport integration maps we have derived a green belt, which forms a ring around the area we have set for develop-ment.

This green belt consists of existing bush connec-tions, which have been identified as ecologically important.

The benefits of having a green belt enclosing de-velopment as opposed to a Metropolitian Urban Limit are:- It uses pre – existing natural boundaries- It further enhances ecological connection.- It is more concrete, unlike most Metropolitian Urban Limits, which can be constantly reposi-tioned and extended to the councils liking (lead-ing to problematic sprawl and other planning issues).- It is a boundary that can be physically distin-guished from within the landscape. Develop-ers, residents and council staff will all be able to physically identify this green belt and understand its reasons for positioning and hence its impor-tance.

Retired Land

Auckland is spreading. Retired land is the existing vegetation and land we have identified could be enhanced. By creating ar-eas of retired land and developing buffers and greenbelts, we are encouraging connectivity of the vegetation. At the same time, we are changing the appearance of the sprawl. The green belts follow rivers, valleys and the existing main areas of vegetation. In addition, the greenways will act as sound barriers, and be used to prevent erosion in necessary areas. These ecological con-nections in future developments could be enhanced and connect to the wider Auckland Region.

Horticulture and Agriculture

We have designated these areas for horticultural and agricultural purposes. This land tends to be flat to undulating, has good quality soil for crops and has good water retention. These areas could be used for fruit and vegetable production, farming, vineyards, farmers markets and community gardens. This will help Silverdale become more self-sufficient and will improve its ecological connectivity.

Residential

The Residential sites have been designated to areas with reasonably poor soil and undulating slope. It is anticipated that foun-dations and earthworks will retain stability. All but the existing Silverdale and Whangaparaoa boundary will be surrounded by vegetation of various densities and heights. They are positioned a reasonable distance away from the main road.

Recreation, Open Space and Amenities

We have used the arrangement of residential areas to designate appropriate areas for recreation and amenities. The methodol-ogy behind this is that recreation, open space and amenities will connect people in the community. This would encourage peo-ple to manage and use them. They also act as social drivers. These areas can be playgrounds and parks, botanical gardens, sports fields, cycle ways and walkways, churches, community centres, and swimming pools.

Industrial and Commercial

We have designated three main areas for industrial and commercial use. These areas are situated on non-arable soil types, tend to be prone to erosion and have a reasonable slope. There is a thin line of commercial area along the main roads. Industry backs on to the commercial, and is close to the residential areas. This will reduce travel time and traffic flow to and from areas of employment. These areas also have easy access to major roads and transport routes, including the proposed train line.

Retired Land

Existing vegetation, stream buffers, green belts and additional connection enhancement.

Horticulture and Agriculture

Areas of suitable soil for productive purposes such as: grazing, crops, orchards, vineyards, and community gardens.

Residential Land - Low Density

Dwellings on low lying land with height restriction of two stories.

Residential Land - Medium Density

Dwellings on intermediate gradient land with height restriction of three stories.

Residential Land - High Density

Dwellings on high land and ridges with a height restriction of four stories.

Recreational Areas

Soft amenity areas for example: cycle and walk ways, parks, sporting fields, and botanical gardens.

Amenities

Hard amenity areas for example: community centres, swimming pools, churches, health and education centres.

Commercial Land

Commercial areas such as retail situated close to residential areas, adjacent to main roads.

Industrial Land

Industrial areas in existing locations, intensified and on sloped land. This land would be suited to primary industry (processing food and raw materials) and secondary industry (manufacturing).

5. ReferencesText and Images

Auckland Regional Council, (2010). A brief History of Auckland’s Urban For. Prepared by the Social and Economic Research and Monitoring team.

Curtis, B., (1982). Auckland Regional Plan. Chairman Regional Planning Committee. (No Publisher).

Litchfield, J. & D., (1996). From the Wade to Silverdale: a Local History of the District and its School. Desktop Publishing and Compositing.

Bogunovich, Dr. D. (n.d.). Unitec.

Haines, L. (March, 2011). Lecture Three. Unitec.

ANZAC Centenary Bridge. (n.d.). Bridge 2015. Retrieved on April 7, 2011 from Http://www.bridge2015.org.nz/ (April 7 2011)

Ecosystems Forever Changing. (2010). Landscape Architecture New Zealand. Retrieved on April 7, 2011 from http://dirt.asla.org/2011/04/07/ecosystems- forever-changing/

Hobsonville. (n.d.). Waitakere City Council. Retrieved on April 7, 2011 from http://www.waitakere.govt.nz/abtcit/cp/hobville.asp

Infrastructure. (2010). Infrastructure. Retrieved on April 7, 2011 from http://www.infrastructure.govt.nz/plan/march2010/04.htm#to cGovernment’sstategy_growth

Project Twin Streams. (n.d.). Project Twin Streams. Retrieved on April 7, 2011 from http://www.projecttwinstreams.com

Silverdale, Auckland. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved on April 7, 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silverdale,_Auckland

Silverdale: Catchment Management. (March, 2011). Rodney Regional Council. Retrieved on April 7, 2011 from www.rodney.govt.nz/DistrictTown Planning/plans/catchmentmanagement/Pages/Silverdale

Sky Train. (n.d.). Downtown Vancouver. Retrieved on April 7, 2011 from http://www.downtownvancouver.com/directory/skytrain/

Sky Train, Vancouver. (n.d.). Sky Train. Retrieved on April 7, 2011 from http://www.skytrain.info/

Twin Streams. (n.d.). Thomas Civil Consultants. Retrieved on April 7, 2011 from www.tomascivilconsultants.co.nz/twinstreams.html

PINE VALLEY2011

connectivity + integration

Proposed by Anna Bish

In the first project there were four main clusters of mixed use developments that had been pro-posed. In this part of the project I chose to look at the cluster to the west of the Northern motorway and the Silverdale off-ramp, (as seen in image to the right.). I did a series of landscape analy-sis maps within a wider context to discover any important natural features and to expose areas suitable for development. Natural features that were found were classed as retired land to be protected and preserved.

River & Flood PlainsThe waterways and flood plains have been buff-ered separately; rivers by 20m and flood plains by 2m. By buffering it shows which areas need to be protected via vegetative planting to stop stream erosion, and banks from degrading.

These areas would be part of the retired land and not suitable for developing on.

SlopeThe slope over the area being analysed was calculated and reclassified to show slopes of 15 degrees or more.

Slopes of 15 degrees or higher have steep gra-dients and are therefore difficult to develop and are highly prone to erosion. The most effective way to deal with these areas is to vegetate the area, which helps with preventing erosion.

These areas would also be part of the retired land that would not be developed upon.

ASPECT indicates the south facing slope. These are areas that are not ideal for residential devel-opment, as they are colder and prone to souther-ly winds. They are fine as commercial buildings however. South facing slope will be vegetated in areas deemed appropriate.

SlopeThe slope has been reclassified further to in-dicated areas above 6 degrees and below 15 degrees. In doing this land with a slope of 0 - 5 degrees has been discovered.

Slope above 6 degrees has been vegetated in this map, leaving flatter land as the open terrain. The flat land; between 0 - 5 degrees, is the best for developing on as minimal earthworks need to be done. Slopes between 6 - 15 degrees aren’t ideal for building housing upon but it can still be achieved via earth works and terracing the land.

The 6 - 15 degree slope will be vegetated in areas that are considered appropriate; like high density housing opposed to low density where there is a larger site to choose the location of the building.

Land CoverAreas with already existing vegetation cover are shown in green in this land cover map, whilst the building footprint of existing buildings are in orange.

The existing vegetation is an important aspect to the surrounding ecosystem in Silverdale and needs to be protected and retained as retired land. These areas indicate already function-ing patches that can become better connected through the other factors making up the retired land.

Impervious Surfaces -Buildings and Roads

Impervious surfaces are ones that are normally covered in concrete or a material that doesn’t allow water to permeate through the soil. The existing building footprints and roads are a com-ponent of these surfaces.

These areas show where development has al-ready began and highlights areas that have not yet been developed.

Retired Land Contrasting with existing buildings

Natural elements including; river buffers, flood plain buffers, slopes of 15 degrees and more, emfemoral rivers, shelter belts, existing land cover, and some areas of south facing slope, have been put together to create an overall area of retired land. This will be planted out in native vegetation, following trends of the land cover types that are already in the vicinity of the site.

These retired areas provide amenities for people as well as other organisms, and help to connect the landscape through a vegetative network.

The large map shows in the darker green the area that is going to be zoned into to develop at a closer scale. The area covers approximately 50ha.

ProcessThe process that was undertaken to develop and ensure connectivity and integration is shown in the following series of images.

-Low Density Housing : based on 2000m2 site with 350m2 building footprint-Medium Density Housing : based on 400-550m2 site with 180m2 building footprint-High Density Housing : based on 150m2 site with 60m2 building footprint on the ground, but these buildings are 2 storied. So a total of 120m2.-Residential : Some land would be covananted, where the owner has to maintain any bush on their land.-Recreational : 6480m2 Leisure Centre. (swimming pools, spa, gym, squash courts, basketball court.)

Storm WaterThe topography of the proposed site has two rivers running down either side of it towards the Weiti River. A dominant ridge disects the middle of the site creating run off into both of these riv-ers.

Catching the storm water and putting it through a treatment process before it permeates into the river system is very important, especially within an high ecologically connected area.

Three storm water ponds have been created within the site to accomodate this, with the larger one at the base of the recreational extent mov-ing out of the storm water pond and becomign a wetland garden before re-entering the streams and rivers.

The ponds have been placed at junctions where multiple water flows meet and are in reasonable proximity to the rivers they’ll eventually move into.

CirculationThe movement of people via pedestrian and ve-hicular connections through the site is extremely important. Pedestrian access is very important within these clusters, as limiting vehicle use will benefit the communities greatly. The movement of organisms is also an important aspect to the area, as this keeps the ecology alive and healthy.

The roads act as connective routes for vehicles, as well as pedestrians in some areas in the form of sidewalks along side roads. Main roads are set on a radial span out from the recreational section in the bottom of the site, with minor roads inter-esting between these. Thus forming access to housing.

The emfemoral rivers that were mapped out in the first steps act as pedestrian corridors, moving people throughout the site alongisde other organ-isms. The emfemoral river buffers also provide a corridor system between patches within the overall matrix.

These road and walkway networks weave across the site and connect each part of the develop-ment to multiple other areas, drawing them in towards the recreational area at the base of the site. This is because the recreational area carries down into the amenity, commercial and industrial sites.

Planting PlanThe retired land consists both of already exisitng vegetation and buffers that have been created in the landscape analysis process, which would need to be vegetated. Roading, public spaces, and storm water pond plantings would also need to be vegetated.

The existing plant species found in the land cover map would remain, whilst other plantings would be predominantly native, unless a specific exotic species was largely helping with the ecological processes.

A mix of natives would be used to provide a range of food sources at all times throughout the year. A variety of tree, shrub, and undergrowth species would be used separately and together to create different strata layersw view shafts, and protection. In areas where saftey and security is an issue, high trees and low planting; under 1m, could be used to ensure view shafts around eye level remain open.

Native riparian species will be used in the river and flood plain buffers. The wetland and storm-water ponds will also be surrounded by native riparian species but species that help with the treatment of storm water.

SummaryThe landscape analysis maps have provided thorough insight into the components and makeup of the site and have allowed informed decisions to be made on which areas of land should be developed, or retired and protected.

Using this information the proposed site was developed, creating a mix of low, medium, and high den-sity housing within a 50ha site. Approximately there is 37908m2 of high density housing, 27147m2 of medium density and 19359m2 of low density. Which meant there was 184 high density houses, 157 medium density houses and 56 low density houses. High density was based on two levels but could be intensified more to include more housing. Recreational amenities are provided, as well as storm water management. Pedestrian circulation works via the emfemoral river buffers moving throughout the site, while vehicular circulation is achieved via the network of roads.

A variety of native vegetation would be used in the buffered areas of retired land, as well as along the roads and in public spaces. In some areas private cadastral boundaries intersect with the retired land. In theses cases the land would be under a covenanted land title so that the owners help wit the man-agement of the retired vegetation and ecosystem.

The small site I have looked at works in with the rest of the cluster towards the south and integrates residential alongside commercial and industrial, providing jobs within the immediate area for people to work in without having to travel far, and perhaps without vehicles at all.

Sheltertown

Silverdales’ newest mixed use development.

Rebecca Cray

My site is located to the south west of the Silverdale township, in between the North-ern motorway and State Highway 17. This site is approximately 50 hectares in size and borders the busy SH17, overlooking the Northern Motorway below, and further in the distance the Silverdale township, surrounding hills and landscape. Being adja-cent to SH17 means it sits on top a ridge which gradually descends to the motorway below. My site sits adjacent to an area (Silverdale) marked for urban intensification, which is already being undertaken and planned for the next twenty years.Travel times to my site would be 5 minutes from Silverdale, and 25 minutes from Auckland City.

From visits to the site, the landscape can be said to have a rural character, with low density houses strewn along the road edge of SH17 closest to Silverdale. It has the potential to offer some impressive views and vistas of the sur-rounding landscape, and is currently an informal landscape with no commercial or business development of any kind.

The appeals of this site are:- its proximity to SH17 and the Northern Motorway- Its rural character and sense of “remoteness” from urban life and its demands- Its open outlook, vistas spanning from the South to the North east.- A sense of space with little or no limitations

Also to be recognised are the psychological benefits of being on a high point. Not only are the views advantageous, but the sense of security and comfort gained from

being able to place oneself within the greater landscape is also a crucial way of enhancing human perception of connectivity and identity. By obtaining views of the Silverdale town ship from the site, we can gain a sense of land-scape integration and connectivity from the liveable environment.

Context

Photos from the corner of my site, facing east and southeast. Note the rural character and sparse vegetation cover on a sloping site. (Cray,R. 2011)

The next stage in the landscape analysis process is to map existing natural features of my site and surrounding greater contextual area. This enables us to read the landscape, gain an appreciation of how things work and integrate together. From this analysis we can gain an under-standing of which areas need pro-tection and/or enhancement, and subsequently which areas would be suitable for development. I want to develop this landscape by maintaining the landscape char-acter through landscape feature preservation and reflect these characteristics within site design.

Nor

ther

n M

otor

way

State

Highway

17

Silverdale

In order to understand the patterns and processes of this landscape, extensive mapping was done through GIS. This helped to determine the way natural components work and their integration within the wider Silverdale context.

This first series of maps show the distribution of natural landscape features. It was the process of establishing these map layers that informed the next stage of site design.

Site Analysis

Map 1: The broader context of Silverdale. looking North along the Northern Motorway.

Map 2: The location of my site extent within the Silverdale context.

Map 3: Main building footprints within a close proximity to my site extent.

Map 4: Large bush patches. Note the majority of distribu-tion is to the northwest, with the site extent offering little bush connectivity.Below: Northwest vegetation cover on the site.

Map 5: Large areas of regenerating bush with the large bush patches. The regenerating bush patch to the west of the site extent is a promising connective resource for my site.

Map 6: Smaller bush clumps, including shelterbelts. The high distribution of shelterbelts in and around the site forms the dominant vegetation type.Below: Small shelterbelts at the southern end of the site.

Map 7: Floodplains within the broader extent. There dis-tribution also hints towards low lying areas which would not be suitable for urban development types. The flood-plain which intersects with the site extent will have huge design implications.

Map 8: River and stream numbers with a ten metre buffer. These are areas of particular importance in regards to eco-logical preservation and enhancement. The stream which runs along the lower boundary of my site will also have a strong design influence.

Map 9: Slopes of greater than fifteen degrees are consid-ered undevelopable, and are also prone to erosion and landslides. In this map they have been given a fifteen me-tre buffer to accurately portray the extent of unstable land. These types of slopes form a ring around my site extent, which has very few steep slopes.

Map 10: Land use types of the broader extent. In this in-stance, the two land use types are 3s4 (dark grey); which is moderately arable, and 4w4 (rest of area), which is char-acterised as having severe limitations for arable use. From this we can ascertain that the lower half of the site extent could in some way be productive, while the upper two thirds are not highly fertile or useable and hence are more suited to urban development.

Map 11: The colourful pattern shows the initial spatial plan for the area, which was decided at a much larger scale. The chosen site extent in this case was determined to be industrial (beige) and commercial development (yel-low), with a small block of amenities (red). A recreational area (orange) and high, medium and low density housing (three purples) sit on the other side of the road.

Map 13: From the map analysis of landscape pattern and process we can determine the land that needs to be retired. In the combined map, all those features which need to be retired are coloured green. The land which remains within my site extent is the area that can potentially be developed.

Concerns- Landscape drainage and water management; the site has very wet unstable soils.

- Lack of well established native plant and tree specimens/lack of ecological connectivity.

-The server road (SH17) is very busy, high speed and dangerous, and hence would require alterations or detours to reduce effect on traffic flow and reduce risks for users of the development.

-No public transport links are currently directly connecting the site to Silverdale or other growth areas.

- There is no existing grid or layout pattern within this landscape to adhere to and drive the new site design.

Design DirectionDesign methods that do not follow ecological enhancement principles:

- Landscape division caused by huge numbers of carparks.

- Contained urban mixed use development like Westgate, West Auck-land.

-Large amounts of impervious surfaces.

- Manmade interferences of natural systems which compromise land-scape integrity. Such as stormwater drains flowing straight out to sea.

-Introduction and overuse of exotic plants.

Map 14: The extensive mapping which formed the basis of the site analysis has now determined the developable land. All these landscape patterns combine to form a more complex whole. It is from here that we can understand that water is the key natural influence on the site extent, as well as the land use types. The lack of natural vegeta-tion is also a key issue as I look to incorporate my groups initital principles of ecological connection and integration.

Site Development

Map 15:.The combination of the inital spatial plan with landscape patterns and processes demonstrates the im-practicality of the industrial zoning (beige). This area is under threat from floods and is also on the most arable land in the entire region. From a landscape ecology per-spective it would be impractical to lock up the most pro-ductive land with impervious surfaces and expose it to the polluting aspects and soil structure damage it would incur if developed. This particular area of the site is therefore not intended for human occupation or extensive use by recreational or developmental means, and to some extent renders the initial spatial plan useless.

Map 16A reform of land use and division is shown to the right. This was formed on the basis of the follow-ing:

- Land which could possibly flood or be useful for food production has been left undeveloped and characterised as recreational space at this stage.

- The “encompassing” concept from the initial broad scale spatial plan means medium density housing spans the site, containg the amenities and commercial development.

- Removal of industrial development zoning. This was after consideration of the already fragile ecosystems and landscape patterns within the site and greater extent.

- Commercial development zoning occupies the same similar position,but a lesser area. This is simply because I want my design to operate as an independent settle-ment and the initial amount of commercial development proposed would be surplus to my settlements needs. This area is in a key position to be accessed from the adjacent State Highway 17, a key transport route. Its position is also crucial in that the commercial buildings will be seen from the Northern motorway below, as the commercial devel-opment sits on the main ridge in the area. This kind of constant marketing exposure from multiple angles is what commercial property developers are looking for in a site (Nickson,B. 2011)

- The retail and amenity block (red) is crucially placed in the middle of the design to create a town centre and make the amenities easily accessible to all the settlements residents.

- The residential buildings are designed to face east. This is to make the most of the sun and sunrise., and also for the sweeping vistas down the slope and out to the opposing hills and distant seascape. I wanted the buildings facing this way, so that its occupants could understand their juxtaposition in relation to the wider landscape, and their relationship to the Silverdale township.

Case Study : Highbrook Business ParkHighbrook Business Park is a new commercial development designed by Peter Walker. It has stimulated a lot of interest for its ecological enhancement ideas and execution, while providing a pleasant working environment and recreational park facilities.My first impression of Highbrook Park, was that it was a large and very open green space with a (currently) uneven distribution of commercial buildings and flattened sites. For a light industrial area, ‘open space’ and ‘green’ are words not normally as-sociated with this concept, so for me this immediately marked this design as original and creative. I can see first hand, that from a transport and ecology perspective, this type of landscape is preferable to existing brownfield sites we have in New Zealand today. It was pleasing to see a huge emphasis put on increasing environmental man-agement (using swales and stormwater ponds) and ecological connectivity enhance-ment, as these are two huge drivers for my Silverdale site design. Aspects of the design that conflicted with the ‘green image’ of Highbrook were its extensive roading system, and large low density sprawl of the site. Highbrook has been expected to last the next 50 to 100 years, but its transport framework does not take into consideration the effects of oil shortages, and hence the need to increase urban density for efficiency. While we know that commercial areas are wanted and needed, the attitude of ‘not in my back yard’ has to change if we are to really ensure future resilience and sustainability of our structure plans.

Spacious road layout enables views of large amounts of green space.

Of particular mention are the numerous stormwater ponds created within the site. These serve to clean runoff from impervious surfaces, which contain polluting and sometimes toxic sediments. These increase the ecological functionality of the site, but on a wider scale also ensure only a positive influence on the local surrounds, particularly the health of the adjacent Tamaki estuary.

Top: Highbrook spatial plan, demonstrating a heavy landscape ecology aspect.Above: An artits impression of the central Highbrook amenity area.Right: New light industrial develop-ment in Highbrook.Photos and plan from:(www.highbrook.co.nz 25/05/2011)

Case Study : Hobsonville PointAlthough as yet undeveloped, the Hobsonville Point Development has already installed its stormwater ponds, which I thought were particularly interesting in that they appear relatively natural but have an aethetic appeal and cultural reference through the use of the black upright logs.(Cray,R.2011).

Spatial Plan DevelopmentMap 17: The first consideration to turn my spatial con-

cepts into more detailed physical attributes was to de-termine my road placement; this pro-vided my development framework. This was determined in relation to the Highbrook Park case study (previous page). It became clear that the addition of stormwater ponds was crtical to the sites ecological func-tion. According to these ideas, like the Highbrook Park, they have been placed on the lowest lying land at the bot-tom of all the development, at the edges of the two main existing shelterbelts. These enable collection of sediments (some toxic) and releasing of cleaned stormwater over-flow into the nearby stream system. Map 18: The next crucial decision was the layout of my medium density roads. A grided structure is determined as being the most economical format. I wanted these roads to form paralells with the stream and State High-way 17, as these are the most defining characteristics of importance to my site. Rather than culvert the efemoral stream which runs diagonally through the main subdivi-sion (as would normally be the case), I decided that it would be best to honour this small landscape feature and

turn it into a connecting community ele-ment within the residential area. This in turn would help to turn the residential layout into a subdivsion

reflecting the landscapes unique land-scape character, as opposed to a heart-less grid of no contextual relevance.

Map 19: Medium density housing placement is divided by the efemoral stream. This will mean every house is within five minutes walk of this natural feature. Along the stream will be pathways which connect the residents to each other, and also further recreational space (down the slope) or commercial space (at the top of the slope).

Map 20: Vegetation enhancement is a crucial landscape attribute which enables the stream and riparian areas to

be protected. It also increases the ecologi-cal density, richness and connectivity within my site. My recreational pathways (thin dark brown near lower end of site) are meandered in and around these extended bush enhancement areas to provide an outlet for residents, and an area for them to appreciate the regions landscape features and ecological attributes.

Map 21:

Terrace housing needs to be centrally located, but inconspicuous enough to insure it does not outcompete other

design elements.

Map 22: Retail block and the recreation centre form part of the vital heart of the settlement. Their placement in the centre of the design ensures it is easily accessed by all residents, and also those working or using the commer-cial area.

Map 23: The recreational areas (golden/beige) need to be reformed to accurately align with the terrace housing (as this has the highest concentration of residents and hence users). These strips which lead up to the commercial area ( if you go up) or down to the recreational park grounds are dedicated public space with no predetermined use. They could be filled with stalls, markets, fairs, botanical gardens or commuity groups.

Map 24: Commercial road placement. I also wanted this to reflect the stream and State Highway 17 landscape features. I was particularly careful to try and base these roads of the main supply road (State Highway 17) as this is where the majority of the customers will be coming from. i also

wanted to reduce the amount of non - resi-dent thoroughfare through the actual

development, so for this reason the commercial roads do not go right through from State Highway 17 to the sites main road. Residents can easily access the com-mercial area by walking along the public strips, or alterna-tively the footpaths which line all the developments roads.

Map 25: Commercial building placement and distribu-tion. Smaller commercial buildings face the main medi-um density housing development, to minimise the sense of intrusion which would come with huge imposing com-

mercial buildings. To minimise environmental impact and increase aesthetic appeal, all commercial building roofs will have green roofs, with carex grasses, native kai-kuia or other small shrub species. This further minimises the environmental impact of constructing impervious urban structures, and effectively just translates the inital land cover up two storeys to the roofs of these commer-cial buildings.

It is all about the interplay and control of scales, and the comparisons they

draw with their surroundings elements.

Map 26: Lifestyle blocks sit at the northern end of the site, in order to retain a sense of rural character immediately

when one enters the sites main road off State Highway 17.

Map 27: Revegetation is hugely important if the site is to achive ecological connectivity and integration at the site level and also at the larger contextual level. The position of the bush lining the medium density subdivision will also provide a sense of security and enclosure from those driving past on State Highway 17. From an environmental perspective, it will also buffer the prevailing westerly winds

up and over the area, making the subdivsion a more sheltered and pleasant environment.

Landscape AttributesShelterbelts are a key landscape feature within my site. They help retain the rural character and initial landscape character of my site.

From a functional point of view, shelter-belts are neccessary to delineate cadastral boundaries, shelter other plants, animals or buildings.

BASIC PRINCIPLES OF SHELTERBELTS • POROSITY-Ideally50%,toslowthewind, not stop it altogether.• HEIGHT-Preferablyastallasthesitua-tion allows.

( Guidelines, pictures and diagrams all from http://www.appletons.co.nz/kbase/shelterand-shade.php 26/05/2011)

Map 28 The final component of the sites spatial plan was the ad-dition of several more shelterbelts, of varying sizes and lengths depending on their location.

The shelterbelts are the most defining aspect from both an ecological and landscape character retention point of view. The inclusion of shelterbelts ensures the initial landscape character of the site is retained and turned into an aesthet-ically pleasing and functional feature. Just as important is the way these shelterbelts increase ecological connectivity, linking the lowland forest with the shelterbelts and small bush patches across the road.

From a human perspective the shelterbelts were intro-duced in areas where:- Shelter or wind buffering was required-commercial elements needed to be hidden or obscured from public view from the residential and town centre areas. -In areas where urban development lacked ecological ele-ments, shelterbelts were introduced to enhance the areas aesthetics and provide the all important integration of site elements.

Top: Formally main-tained shelterbelt.Middle: Informal/ natural form shelter-belt.Left bottom: Diagram showing the effect shelterbelts have on wind presence within a landscape area.

Shelterbelt Species

http://www.appletons.co.nz(26/05/2011)

http://ingreenienz.com/images/rimu.(26/05/2011)cGwF_CtD8d2Ou

http://www.cfgphoto.com (26/05/2011)

Plant species chosen vary considerably due to climatic conditions and personal prefernce and required function. At this particular site, the ex-isitng shelterbelt species are predominantly pine, or poplar. Being exotic species they therefore do not comply with my perception of the need for a natively planted site. Poplars, being deciduous, are beneficial in that they allow more light in dur-ing the winter months, however they look very scraggly at this time, and provide a lot less shelter (the function they are meant to be fulfilling.) For these reasons my introduced planting will be

native evergreen species, of varying heights and densities depending on their position in relation to other urban elements within my design.

Totara: Shelterbelts of totara will be on the life-style blocks, as they have the space to grow taller. They also offer a varieation of colour as people drive into the site.

Rimu: The large bush patch introduced at the northern end of the site is predominantly rimu. Rimu prefer to grow on ridges, and this particular area is a steep slope that requires stabilisation. Rimu can grow up to 30m tall and hence will be easily seen by birds and insects within the wider landscape, increasing ecological connectivity.

Flax and cabbage trees: These make great complanion plantings, with the cabbage trees pro-viding the flax shelterbelt with an aesthetic break in format. Flax shelterbelts are situated in areas where unobscured pedestrian and vehicle views need to be obtained from a safety point of view. This is areas next to main roads and the public strips.

Landscape Perspectives & DetailsAll the roads within my site design have swales alongside the road edge, meaning there are no kerbs, allowing runoff to freely flow into these swales. The swales are sandwiched be-tween the road and pedestrian pathways, meaning the path-ways also drain into these swales. This is demonstrated in the perspective on the right, and the sectional view below.

Plants which sit in the swale are water tolerant species such as Baumea rubiginosa, Apodasmia similis (both rushes) and New Zealand native flax; Phormium tennex.

Baumea rubiginosa.http://www.oregonaquatics.com (26/05/2011)lant_home/shal-low_wa-bih=1271

Westgate Shopping Centre, West Auckland lacks any native plantings and deals with stormwater using drains. (Cray, R. 2011)

The above perspective is an impression of the relationship between roads, swales, pathways, and the shelterbelts which channel and screen views of the commercial buildings.

The top left details the retail shopping blocks as they border onto the commercial build-ings on the higher hillside.

Final Spatial Plan

Above: A level perspective of the site gained from the Northern Motorway heading north.

Above: Medium density develoment and its relationship with the intersecting stream.

ReferencesPhotos:http://www.oregonaquatics.com Retrieved 26/05/2011ahttp://www.cfgphoto.com Retrieved 26/05/2011http://www.appletons.co.nz Retrieved 26/05/2011ttp://ingreenienz.com/images/rimu. Retrieved 26/05/2011chttp://www.appletons.co.nz/kbase/shelterandshade.php Retrieved 26/05/2011http://www.highbrook.co.nz Retrieved 25/05/2011

Cray, R. 2011 - writer’s own photos.

Verbal resources:Bradbury, Matthew.2011.Unitec Lecturer, Bachelor of Landscape Architecture

Nisckon, Brady. 2011. Property Developer from Progressive Enterprises.

Popov, Nikolay.2011. Unitec Lecturer, Bachelor of Landscape Architecture

Silverdale Eco Community2011

Connectivity and Integration

Proposed by Erin Fitzpatrick

Auckland is to accommodate 300,000 new dwellings by 2050, for the increas-ing population. Developments must be designed with density and the natu-ral landscape in mind, to both house the population and keep New Zealands beauty. With this development, the aim is to achieve a well-connected landscape, while integrating a rapidly growing population before 2050. Millwater was proposed to house 9000 people in 300 ha, while my proposal is a more densely populated area, with more vegetation cover, to enhance native con-nectivity, housing more people. Analysis of the landscape will help to discover patterns and processes that in-form the spatial layout of the development.

1. The Region Auckland - Silverdale

2. Landscape Elements Natural and Physical Features

3. Strategy Plan Transport and Connectivity Water Management Case Studies

4. Conclusion

5. References

New Zealand Auckland Region Larger Silverdale Extent Eco Community Site

The Region1.Auckland - Silverdale

The Auckland Region is rich and diverse. It’s unique landscape, warm climate, multi-cultural population, and fantastic harbours make it a highly desirable city to live in. Much of the ‘Kiwi’ lifestyle revolves around the coast which has caused a ‘spine’ of ur-ban spread running north and south of Auckland city. This has made Auckland the most dispersed city in the world.

Recently, as the Metropolitan Urban Limits (MUL) have been reached, mixed use areas and intensification of land use have start-ed to be utilised (Auckland Regional Council, 2010). Aucklander’s traditionally have lived primarily, in single-family dwellings. But with the increase of population that has been predicted by the Auckland City Council, some fairly blatant problems need to be addressed. Now, and in the years ahead, space, fuel consumption, its rising cost and traffic congestion are a few of the biggest problems Auckland face.

Presently the Auckland region has 439,083 occupied dwellings. It is predicted by the Auckland City Council, that 300,000 new dwellings will be necessary to house newcomers throughout the Auckland region by 2050. The prediction is a majority of them will move North into the Silverdale area, creating a demand for more housing development, while protecting our natural environment.

Eco Community Site

It is stated within the Auckland Regional Plan that all those migrating to the region should “have the op-portunity to choose housing appropriate to their needs,” and, “there should be variety in the location, type of tenure, means of financing and style of housing so that people can exercise choice.” (Curtis, 1982, Page 13). This should include affordable housing that provides amenities such as public space, open space and sporting facilities. In essence, we wish to produce “a city which does not look like, but does work like an ecosystem.” (Bogunovich, 2010)

Silverdale is situated 30 kilometres north of Auckland city. It is located on the north bank of Weiti River, inland from the Whangaparaoa Peninsula. It is the gateway to the Hibiscus Coast leading to a popular and busy tourist area.

A Millwater View

Silverdale is presently undergoing a transformation with the aim of developing a new town centre, 3000 new dwellings (1% of the 300,000 dwellings required for Auckland), and a mixed commercial zone including retail and office areas, over the next 10-15 years.

The existing Silverdale is a metropolitan area with a low-density building footprint. It has a high-speed four-lane highway dis-locating it and is not pedestrian friendly. The area lacks ecological connectivity. The current transformation plan hopes to solve these issues, however I am not convinced the plan will work.

Millwater is where the proposed 3000 dwellings are going. The site is 300 ha, with the estimate of accommodating 9000 people. For a site this size, there is potential to house many more people. With my development I will look at how increase density to house more people, but also enhance the natural ecological connec-tions through the site.

Silverdale Structural Plan, 2011 Project one

2. Landscape ElementsNatural and Physical Features

The following maps look at Silverdale Eco Community and the wider Millwater subdivision. A thorough investigation was made of the landscape, its natural boundaries, man-made interventions and ecological habitats.

Topography of Silverdale

This map shows the water ways and ridge lines. We can see that the Millwater site is essentially a hill with fairly steep slopes. This generates a good view to the ocean, and is in close proximity to both the city and the countryside.

My site (identified in red) runs from ridge line to river along the south-eastern side of the hill, giving a range of landscape types throughout the site.

Current Development

The Millwater area has very little de-velopment currently, so is a very good opportunity to design a development that works in with the current land-scape.

Most of the current development is along the main roads, so this devel-opment will create a triangle of fairly dense housing. The Silverdale turnoff from the Northern motorway.

Vegetation

The surrounding landscape has a few large patches of forest which contributes to the connectivity and ecological health of the area. The site, though, is miss-ing the small corridors that link these patches together and are important for our smaller native birds.

I think enhancing corridors and connections and adding more native forest is important for this site, creating ecological integrity.

There is only one area of existing native forest within the site, so the site has very little connectivity, so I intend to enhance it.

Topography

Showing streams and over-land flow paths and the Orewa Estuary.

The second map shows area that are directly south-facing aspect (black) and slope that is over 15 degrees. These areas are going to be retired and planted on, for erosion control mainly. South facing sites are not as inviting for residential, as they are colder and can be damp. These areas will be good planted in native species.

Current Development

This map shows that my site is nearly void of all development, with only a few hous-es scattering the ridge line.

Vegetation

Current vegetation along the stream at the base of the site, with a few large patches helping connect my site to the outside landscape.

Retired Land

By layering all the previous maps on top of each other we can start to determine where we are able to develop and which areas are to be retired.

This map shows all the land in green is to be retired and planted, or left to re-generate naturally. This is made up of current vegetation, riparian zones, south-facing aspect, and slope over 15 degrees. Over-land flow paths are also impor-tant to preserve, as they deal with the run-off from the site and enable the water to be cleaned through the vegetation as it travels to the stream. These can be designed and used, and are called swales.

All the areas within my site boundary that are not green are areas that can be developed in the future. My design will incorporate these areas into the spatial layout of the community.

3. Strategy PlanConnectivity + Densification

With my development I will look at how increase density to house more people, but also enhance the natural ecological connections through the site.

An existing storm water pond in Silverdale.

Stormwater Management

There are alot of small vallies through-out my site, creating overland flow paths that flow into the stream that flows along the base of my site, and into the Orewa estuary. To deal with the storm water from the built up ar-eas, I have proposed a seris of storm-water ponds, that clean and filter the water before it gets into the esturary.These are situated to collect the most water from the site, according to the overland flow paths.

Vegetation

The vegetation connectivity was im-portant to this design, and how it in-tegrates with the community. I have buffered the streams with a planted riparian zone, to help with pollution of the stream and the erosion of the stream banks.

This map shows the areas that will eventually be native bush. This will affect the native species and their eco-logical connection across the land-scape. This will be to aid the move-ment and dispersal of species across the wider landscape.This will in turn will increase the spe-cies diversity within the community, and help to educate the residents.

Involving the locals in community planting days.

Planting Plan

The site will be planted with native species, and will also be encouraged to have natural succession in some areas.The riparian zones along the river edges and around the storm water ponds will be planted.Species used will be:Margins -tussocks, sedges, rushes, phormium tenax, leptospermum scoparium, cortaderia etc.Lower Bank -cordyline australis, sophora microphylla, leptospermum scoparium, hebe w etc.Upper Bank -cordyline australis, oleria paniculata, griselinea littoralis, dodenea viscosa, pseudopanax crassifolium etc.

Native pioneer plants will be used on the greater slopes, such as manuka and kanuka. Other broadleaf species, amongst shrubs and ground covers, will be used around the open spaces, to provide shelter.

After 10 years the plants should be starting to provide a healthy cover of native bush,and after 20 years the native cover will be high with many levels within the patches of plants.

These plants will provide habitat for many native plant and animal species.(Riparian Zones, n.d.)

20 year vegetation height

10 year vegetation height

Housing Density

Densification is important for my site, as the more people it can house, the bet-ter for the wider Auckland region as it expands. The recreational areas (pink) are public sports fields and open parkland.High density areas are dark purple blocks, and are 5 story apartments on the ridge line. The high density area can house 3861 people, in the area of 128,708sqm.The medium areas are medium purple blocks, which are 3 story terrace housing. These areas can house 1240 people, in the area of 82,694sqm.The low density is the light purple blocks, which are one story houses on large sections. This area accommodates 102 people, in the area of 10,152sqm.

Overall the high density areas are the most sustainable. The total building foot-print area for the Eco Community is 610,330sqm (62ha), and houses 5203 peo-ple. This is much better than the proposed Millwater site, which is 600,000sqm (300ha), which is proposed to house only 9000 people.If this design is used as a module for further development the site could accom-modate many more people.

An example of transport integrated with ecology.

Circulation

The proposed roads for my site fit in with the existing roads and enable two main accesses into my site.

The roads within my site have no curbs, but have swales down the sides of them, to help deal with storm water. The roads have speed bumps and cor-ners to slow the traffic down, which could also be safer for wildlife cross-ing the roads.Pedestrain pathways criss-cross through the site connecting all the areas of the site together. Walkways and cycleways allow the residents and the general public to share the open space.

Final Design

The analysis of the natural and physical features of the site allowed me to find the areas that should be retired. This included current vegetation, riparian zones, slope over 15 degrees, and south facing slopes, as well as connecting corridors that enhance the connectivity of the ecology of the site. These areas are man-aged by the community and are public spaces, so everyone can enjoy and learn form the native ecology and processes that can be seen.

Ecological connectivity is important within this site, and it also connects with the surrounding landscape of Silverdale, and the patches of forest that are there.

The land within the site that was not retired was available for development. This site suited residential development with some recreational areas. This was dis-covered from the first assignment, using land use capabilities etc. From there I discovered three band of housing densities, following the contours of the site. The high density apartments are on the ridge, with enhanced views over Orewa. Medium density has some views but is more integrated with the ecology of the site. Low residential is down by the stream, where is will have the least impact on the native wildlife.

This design can be a module for further development in the area or another site. It enhances ecology and intensifies the population, which is important for a rap-idly expanding city, and is more sustainable than the original Millwater design.

Maximization of ecological connections in developed areas.

Densification of residential areas.

Millwater proposal: 300ha 9000 people

Eco Community proposal: 60ha 5200 people

4. ConclusionConnectivity + Integration

5. ReferencesText and Images

Auckland Regional Council, (2010). A brief History of Auckland’s Urban For. Prepared by the Social and Economic Research and Monitoring team.

Curtis, B., (1982). Auckland Regional Plan. Chairman Regional Planning Committee. (No Publisher).

Bogunovich, Dr. D. (n.d.). Unitec.

A Millwater View (n.d), Sicato Residential. Retrieved on May 26. 2011 from http://www.sicato.co.nz/millwater.html

Infrastructure. (2010). Infrastructure. Retrieved on April 7, 2011 from http://www.infrastructure.govt.nz/plan/march2010/04.htm#to cGovernment’sstategy_growth

Millwater Plan (2010), Millwater Subdivision. Retrieved on May 26, 2011 from http://www.sensationdevelopments.co.nz/millwater

Project Twin Streams. (n.d.). Project Twin Streams. Retrieved on April 7, 2011 from http://www.projecttwinstreams.com

Silverdale, Auckland. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved on April 7, 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silverdale,_Auckland

Riparian Zones. (n.d.). Establishing Riparian Vegetation. Retrieved on May 25, 2011 from http://www.ecan.govt.nz/publications/General/RiparianZonesWetlandsE0470.pdf

BANKSIDE LINK; AGRI-INDUSTRIAL PARKCONNECTIVITY & INTEGRATION

PROPOSED BY HAILEY GILL

I have chosen this site because it is opposite many future development areas. Silverdale is in the process of developing a new town centre. There is a proposed business park to be developed and the Millwater subdivision is in the process of being contructed.

The connectivity and integration drivers from the previous project will also be drivers in this project. I will focus on efficient transport and the ways this site can benefit and be integrated into the local area.

I have defined my site using roads and stream and vegetation boundaries. It is approximately 98 hectares. The reasons for development and location in this project have all been informed by the landscape. Putting the landscape first will ensure that the integrity of the local landscape is pre-served.

SITE

MILLWATER - RESIDENTIAL

SILVERSTONE - BUSINESS PARK

NEW SILVERDALE TOWN CENTRE

SIT

E

This map shows existing groups of vegetation on the site. I have buffered around all veg-etation by 10 metres. The buffered areas will be planted with a mixture of native and exotic species to promote diversity within the area. Keeping this vegetation on site will help to pro-tect existing vegetation, preserve the integrity of the landscape, and will promote connectiv-ity between vegetated areas.

LAN

DSCAPE

AN

ALY

SIS

This map shows the rivers and larger ephemeral streams around the site. I have buffered each river and ephemeral stream by 10 metres. This buffer will be planted with riparian plants. Rivers are a bug part of the Auckland landscape, and we need to protect them. Plant-ing buffers will help to protect the rivers, add to the connectivity of the landscape, and pre-vent future erosion around river banks.

The dark red indicates areas that have slopes higher than 15 degrees. These areas are too steep to develop on and need to be planted to prevent erosion. Planting these areas will increase landsacpe connectivity around the site. The orange indicates areas that have slopes from 0 to 5 degrees. These areas are very good for building on, as little or no earthworks is required.

This map shows retired land in the site. The retired land is the existing vegetation and buff-ers, rivers/ephemeral streams and buffers, and slopes higher than 15 degrees. Planting these areas will benefit the landscape in terms of landsacpe connectivity and ecological con-nectivity. The retired land will become a feature of the landscape.

I have identified areas that are suitable for stormwater ponds. These areas will collect runoff and cleanse the water before it goes into nearby rivers. The stormwater ponds will also act as landsacpe features.

PLAN

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There are planted areas along the railway, motorway and stormwater ponds. Planting along the railway and mo-torway include flax, maunka and oioi. These plantings will increase landscape connectivity, and act as safety and noise barriers. They will also bring more aesthetic value to the area.

This shows the areas that are suitable for light industry, and have slopes less than 5 degrees. THe total area for light industry is 11.8 hectares, which can provide roughly 118 lots of 1000m2. Compa-nies can purchase more than one lot if they need more space. Light industry is consumer oriented, and includes postage, shoes, clothes, appliances and some electronics. The location is close to my proposed transport hub, which will be able to transport goods to other areas. The buildings will have rainwater tanks to reuse collected water. Any runoff will be collected by the stormwater ponds.

This shows the areas that are suitable for agricultural uses. The total area for this type of development is 15.7 hectares, and lot sizes will depend on specific farming needs. Possible types of farming can include milk, wool, ma-terials and meat. This location is also very close to my propsed transport hub, and will be able to transport goods to other areas by rail. Any buildings will have rainwater tanks, and reuse collected water.

These areas have been designated for open space. The majority is situated by my proposed trans-port hub, on both sides of the motorway. These areas will be of easy access to the local residents and employees, and will also connect both sides of the motorway. The other open spaces will be situated between light industrial and agricultural areas, and around stormwater ponds. The open spaces will include community gardens, areas for passive recreation and sports, and link walkways and cycle-ways throughout the site.

This map shows transport and ciculation within the site. The orange line indicates the new railway. It follows along the motoway. The transport hub for pedestrians and local goods is situated across from Millwater subdivision. A pedestrian bridge has been proposed to go acoss the motorway. The dark blue shows vehicular circulation around the site, following along the roads. The red shows pedestrian circulation within the site, also following along the roads, but also through walkways and cycleways connecting the open spaces and rivers.

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The site is a prime area for development as it borders proposed Silverstone business park, Millwater subdivision and nearby to the development of the new Silverdale town centre. It is an opportunity to provide an area that can benefit the new residents and employees of the local area. The landscape is the focus of this project. The development has been land-scape informed, and all important aspects of the landscape have been protected and en-hanced with planting buffers.

With a future increase in local residents and employees, a different form of transport is needed for more efficient travel. A railway close to future populated areas will encourage use of public transport and lessen the need to drive cars. This will also provide different opportunities for a range of people in terms of living in areas away from work. There will be a carpark on the Millwater side of the motorway, and a pedestrian bridge to connect to the transport hub, with small shops such as food stalls.

Light industrial and agricultural areas will benefit the area. They have an opportunity to give something back to the locals and can work towards being a self-sustaining area. This will provide more jobs for the local area.

Open spaces within the site will integrate the different land use areas. They will increase pedestrian circulation, and walkways and cycleways will connect each area. They will also connect pedestrians to the industrial and agricultural areas, and increase the aesthetic value of the landscape.

Planted areas lining the railway and motorway will increase landscape connectivity and act as safety and noise barriers, benefitting the local residents and employees.

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Silverstone ParkWater and Circulation

Tanya Larson

Contentspage 1 Title

page 3 Table of Contents

page 5 Introduction

page 6 Silverstone site

page 7 Surrounding Silverstone

page 11 Case Study: Otago Rail Trail

page 13 Case Study: Central Park New York

page 17 Spatial Map

page 19 Slope

page 21 Silverstone Park

page 22 Dwellings

page24 Planting

page 26 References

Our aim is to create a recreational area, a park essentially, to not only to improve the existing waterways and retain ecological connectivity within the site but also to retain an area large enough to represent a portion of New Zealand’s iconic heitage.

Introduction

The Auckland Region is rich and diverse. It’s unique landscape, warm climate, multi-cultural population, and fantastic harbours make it a highly desirable city to live in. Much of the ‘Kiwi’ lifestyle revolves around the coast which has caused a ‘spine’ of urban spread running north and south of Auckland city. This has made Auckland the most dispersed city in the world.

I fear that Auckland is too intent on driving forward and growing economically.The need to house eight hundred thousand newcomers over the next 15-20 years has become too much of a focus with the ‘clean green’ image, somewhat abandoned, as is much of the ‘kiwi’ iconography that, to me at least, creates apart of New Zealand’s heritage and makes it significantly different from North America and Australia.It is important that New Zealand honours all of its cultural identities. Growing and planning are important but the best way to ”protect heritage is to increase it”. (Studio Brief, 2011)

Lower Stream at Silverstone May 2011Writer’s photograph

Silverdale, Main Street. Writer’s photograph

Silverdale has an intersting blend of retail. Lingerie appears to be of some importance! Larger stores,i.e. Hammer Hardware are tuckedin behind helping to

maintain that small town, main streeet appearance and feel. The Saturday I visited there was a market on in the ‘to-

ken’ green space and the beginnings of a vintage car rally giving the town a

buzzy feel. Presently Silverdale is

sandwhiched between by Hibiscus Coast Road, a four-lane highway. This has an 80Km speed limit. Along the top of the ridge is a “slower road”. Essentially these roads by-pass Silverdale.

The Site, Silverstone, is south west of Silverdale.It sits alongside of the Northern Mo-torway and has good ecological

connectivity. Presently it is undevel-oped pasture and bush. The grass is grazed and approximately one third of the site is al-ready covered in native bush. The bush is con-

centrated on the ridge and within the ripar-ian zones. The riparian zones are a mixture

of natives struggling through weeds and greenwaste dumpings.

Big Box retail (BBR) is already present with Kings Plant Barn, (with room to grow) opposite the site and a light industrial area exists on the south east side of the site, op-posite Silverdale.

There are proposals to add, on the land

south of Silvestone, big entertain-ment. Presently Snow Planet is a domi-nant feature.

Because of the population growth expected, up to as many as 800,000 peo-ple, new dwellings will be required to house these newcomers. Silverdale itself grew substantially over the past decade.

Millwater, a subdivision north west of the

site, is presently being built. It is predomi-nantly low density housing. Most probably the farm land across the motorway from Silvestone will be developed in a simialar fashion to Millwater. Other nearby areas showing rapid growth are Orewa and the Whangaporoa Peninsula.

New Zealand is presently in a

recession which has seen a number of developers having to step back from their development plans. However recessions never last.

This is why we believe this is perfect op-

pourtunity to create a park on the Silver-stone site.

The full extent of this site is 85ha, this in-cludes a small part west of Silverdale, the

Pac and Save now being built and the War Memorial Park. These areas have been included only to give some context. The site being ‘designed’ is approximately 60ha.

The War Memorial Park contains four rugby fields, a bowling green, changing rooms with a function room above. Martial arts are practiced in thses rooms also.

The War Memorial Park is purely for

recreation and it is this large, exist-ing area that instigated the idea to develop the site of Silverstone as an emenities park. That and much of the land is too steep to build on, without massive earth movement.

We also feel strongly that there is a need to

start designating areas of land where kiwi heritage can be represented, regenerated and utilized.

Silverstone Now

Case Study

The Central Otago Rail Trail is a cycle way in the province of Otago in the South Island, New Zealand.

It was developed by the Department of Conservation in partner-ship with Otago Central Rail Trail Charitable Trust but is a public

Reserve owned by the people of New Zealand.

As its name suggests it is built to follow an existing railway line and so

is reasonably flat. This enables people with an average fitness level to use it.

However it is 150 kilometres long and only the hardened cyclist can endure the bike seat for that distance. It is recommended to make the

entire trip over four days. The trail is accessible from many points allowing one to design their own schedule.

The length of the trail has encouraged businesses to establish along

it creating employment and a greater sense of community pride. (Otago Rail, 2009) The employment is seasonal. *Unreliable income for resident businesses (need for alternative incomes), transient em-ployees not paid not much more than minimum wage.

Visitors/Users wide range by the majority area aged between 36 and 65 years.

“The heritage of the old railway line has been preserved, with the retention of viaducts and bridges and to some of the Railway Stations.”

Central Park New York City

The infamous Central Park, the heart of New York City, had no buildings around it when it was first built. The park was opened during the 1870’s (Fredrick Law Olmsted, 2009) and was 843 acres of fully landscaped land, includ-ing several artificial ponds, extensive walking tracks, large areas of trees and a 43 billion gallon reservoir (wiki, Cen-tral Park May 22 2011).

Designed by Fredrick Olmsted and Calvert Vaux (Fredrick Law Olmsted, 2009) it took more than 15 years for the park to built (A view on Cities n/d). “To convert the swampy area into a park the designers had envisioned,

several hundred thousand trees were planted, more than three million cubic yards of soil moved, roads and bridges were constructed and a large reservoir was dug out” (A view on Cities, n/d).

For many decades the park took pride of place and was utilized by many. During the seventies the park slipped into decline because of poor management. It was rife with crime and filled with homeless people making it an unwise place to visit. (A view on Cities, n/d).

In 1980 the Central Park Conservancy was estab-lished. This was a group of people determined to claim the park back for the city (Central Park, 2010). The park has been split into 49 zones and each of these zones is

the responsibility of a single individual. The zero toler-ance policy, adopted by New York City in 1996 (Safe New York, 2011), has been applied within park as well. Central Park now has its own NYPD precinct as well as park en-

forcement patrols. The crime rate within the park has been reduced considerably because of this, making it a safer place to visit.

This park is a monumental attribute to a densely populated city. It provides approximately 20 million visitors every year (A View on Cities, n/d) with 250ha of lawn, 9,000 benches, 26 ball fields, 21 playgrounds, sculpture, swim-ming, ice skating, rock climbing, walking, jogging, cycling, a wildlife sanctuary, thousands of trees, theatre and refuge. (Central Park, 2010).

A considerable amount of forethought or just luck...who could have imagined New York would grow as it did. It is important to grab these park spaces when we can.

A small amount of employment will be created if the park is mangaged as we intend for this park. Most probably volunteers will do the majority of work. Ideally, the creation of ‘Friends of...” combined with the residents taking responsibility. As the area does build up it

may be possible to create a similar conservancy, as in Central Park - obviously on a much smaller scale.

Safety is an important issue as people often feel wary in the bush, certainly at night. The walkways will all be lit using solar power. As with the Twin Streams project we could arrange for the lighting to be automated to turn on and off at particular times.

Spatial Map (Zones)

We overlayed the map from the first assignment on top of the topography created in ARCScene. To a certain extent the zones matched. However instead of using the flater areas for producing I have dedicated it to residen-tial. They will be particularly well positioned, north facing with fantastic outlooks of the bush beyond.

Inspiration for the Silverstone park came from the river flows in the greater extent of the landscape and the flood zones. Paths were dictated by the degree of slope.

Final Map

This final plan shows a comprehensive integration of commu-nity and ‘natural’ surroundings with an emphasis on living in the outdoors.

Wide walk ways, doubling as cycle ways, weave through the landscape as a river might. Some of the paths will be chal-lenging, encouraging mountain bikers and hikers. The walk way close to the river is circular and links Silverstone with Sil-verdale allowing pedestrian and safe cycling access between the two places.

Amenity areas will be created adjoining these walkways. They are positioned on flatter areas of land but some have a grad-ual slope. It is expected that they will differ in appearances, some open space with only grass, others may be more formal with ‘designed’ space. Many of these amentiy areas will pro-vide access and views of the rivers, others a reprieve from the bush.

Planting on the riparian verges will be predominantly low growing native plants (see planting guide). Some height will be provided creating shade, from the summer heat, visual interest and to attract birds

Already, on the hill, a reasonable amount of native bush is established. We intend to let this regenerate and increase it with improved management schemes. There are a number of stands of Silver birch, (see cover), which removes the one from the denseness of the ‘bush’, is not traditionally New Zea-land but is reminiscent of pioneer days.

There are three areas dedicated to residential in this plan. These are small areas. In total we expect 30 - 50 homes to be built. We do not intend to cater for population growth but we do wish to make the dwellings on this site as sustainable as is feesably possible. Terrace style dwellings. The photograph opposite is intended to show character style intended of dwellings.

All dwellings will have north facing aspects, increasing the us-ability of solar power.

All potable water will be collected, stored and reused on site.

Storm water will be directed and filtered through a series of rain gardens and remedial plantings. This will contend with some of the additional toxins the impact of dwellings and ad-ditional impervious surfaces will create. Directing stormwater will also prevent erosion and sediment build up.

The close vacinity of Pac and Save and Silverdale allows easy access to retail.

Example of wide walk ways.Writer’s photograph

Example of terrace housing.City of NewHaven

Stormwater, Hobsonville.Writer’s photograph

Planting Suggestions

Silverdale and the War Memorial Park have numerous speci-

men trees. Oak, poplar and plane are common

Because of its name the use of silver foliage could be appro-priate. Particularly in the residential areas. Contrasted with purple foliage.

An increase in the stands of silver birch on the ridge. It seems appropriate to have these closer to the residential areas up on the hill.

Riparian areas: Plants with Height - Cordyline australis, Sophora tetraptera, Plagianthus regius, Dacrycarpus dacry-doiides, Melicytus ramiflorus, Rhopalostyllis sapida, Lepto-spernum scoparium, Dacrydium cupressium.

Shrubs and grasses -Phormium spp, Chionlchloa rigida, Poa Cita, Apodasmia similis, Baumea juncea, Carex secta, Cyathea dealbata.

On the very edge of the water - Cyperus ustulatus, Juncus gregiflorus, Eleocharis acuta, Typha orientalis

On the ridges other plants worth considering - Coprosma sp.,Agathis australis, Phyllocladus trichomanoides, Podo-carpus totora, Knightia excelsa, Pittosporum tenufolium, Vitex lucens,Macropiper excelsum, Griselinia lucida, Hebe sp.,Lophomyrtus sp, Metrosideros sp (climbers too).

References McManus, PhilVortex Cities to Sustainable CitiesAustralia’s Urban ChallengeUniversity of New South Wales Press Ltd 2005

http://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/il/d18311_communities.pdf (may 19 2011)

http://www.fredericklawolmsted.com/central.html (May 23 2011) www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/climate-change (May 13 2011) www.landcareresearch.co.nz/publications/researchpubs/LCR_SDPOA_review_2006.pdf (May 13 2011)

www.mfe.govt.nz/environmental-reporting/report-cards/landuse (May 13 2011)

www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/climate-change (May 13 2011)

www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/sus-dev (May 13 2011)

http://www.safeny.ny.gov/zero-tol.htm (May 22 2011)

Plateshttp://www.google.co.nz/imgres?imgurl=http://www.cityofnewhaven.com/uploads/q%2520terrace%2520exterior.JPG&imgrefurl= (May 19, 2011) new SF style housing

http://www.google.co.nz/imgres?imgurl=http://www.omegacycleworks.com.au/images/Rail%2520Trails.jpg&imgrefurl= (May 19, 2011) Central Otago

http://www.otagocentralrailtrail.co.nz/reports/Report%202008.pdf (May 19, 2011)

http://www.google.co.nz/imgres?imgurl=http://www.zigzagwallpapers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Central-P (May 23 2011) Picture of Central Park

http://www.fredericklawolmsted.com/central.html (May 23 2011) Original Plan and info