Where do the children play?

Hobsonville Point is emerging as a positive example of how higher density housing can strengthen communities and enhance liveability.

The tenth annual Hobsonville Point Sustainability Report shows that Hobsonville Point is a place where neighbours know one another, children play unsupervised in public spaces, and the sense of community is alive and well.

“HLC’s social vision for Hobsonville Point has been around creating a very strong and vibrant community,” says Kathleen Waldock, HLC Programme Manager, Placemaking.

The report shows that this vision is being realised with 93 percent of residents saying that Hobsonville Point is a great place to live, more than 95 precent reporting positive contact with neighbours that goes beyond a simple “hello”, and more than 80 percent using a public park or facility in the last month.

Waldock says this has been achieved by encouraging diversity through design and providing housing options at a range of price points to suit people of different ages and backgrounds. There has been a special focus on providing opportunities for first home buyers and long-term renters.

Safety is also a key measure of quality of life, and is something that HLC has acknowledged in the planning and creation of public spaces. The report shows that 90 percent of people feel that their neighbourhood is safe for children to play unsupervised, and 97 percent say it’s safe for pedestrians.

“We’ve done that through creating public spaces that are close to their homes – they are an extension of their backyards,” says Waldock. “Side roads are narrow so cars are forced to slow down, and you’ll see that kids take over the streets after school,” she adds.

The opening of the five-kilometre Coastal Walkway has provided a safe, car-free space for pedestrians and cyclists to use and is also proving to be a popular attraction for weekend visitors. The walkway connects land to sea and passes through several neighbourhoods and the business precinct at Catalina Bay.

Read the latest Hobsonville Point Sustainability Report here.

- Content supplied by the Urban Development Group