Putting the community at the centre of suburban development in Auckland is essential to creating a sense of ownership and pride of place for residents, says HLC, the organisation tasked with leading large scale development projects in the Auckland Housing Programme.
“More than houses, we are building homes and we’re building community and place,” says Mark Fraser, HLC’s General Manager Development – Auckland Regeneration.
“It’s one thing to build the houses, but it’s something entirely different to do that with the community, and for the community on the way through.”
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As part of the master planning process, HLC recognises that every new development has an impact on the people who live there, which is why HLC goes to great lengths to involve the community in the process.
In many cases, the development is replacing substandard housing with modern, quality housing and this is welcomed and supported by the community.
But Fraser says that housing needs to provide more than a warm, dry, safe place for people to live. It needs to reflect the diverse needs and identity of the established community, both now and into the future.
To do this, HLC seeks input and feedback from the residents living in these communities, to guide the design process and lays the foundation for each project.
It also works alongside mana whenua, residents, schools and community groups to understand the unique needs of each development area, and has developed new ways of facilitating community involvement, such as community reference groups, design labs, and public information days.
“It’s not about us dreaming up a design in our studio and going and building it, it’s about bringing people along with us on that journey,” says David Irwin, Director at Isthmus Group,
“So that at the end of the day it’s their project much more than it’s our project.”
Fraser says that’s the ultimate goal: to hand ownership of the development projects back to the community so that they can be valued and enjoyed for many generations to come.
“Fundamental to our approach is that, as the project gets underway, we look after and respect these people’s homes and that way we look after and care for these communities in which we’re operating, and we build these neighbourhoods for Auckland’s future,” Fraser says.
