Auckland’s uncontrollable sprawl

Auckland has been “wedded to a 1950s vision of uncontrolled sprawl,” says Labour Leader David Shearer.

“Auckland's mayor is standing firm against urban sprawl,” say commentators.

“Auckland’s sprawl is unsustainable and must stop,” says virtually every planner everywhere.

And yet … what uncontrolled sprawl?

Here’s Auckland in 1984:

Here’s Auckland in 2012:

How’s that “uncontrollable sprawl” working out?

Fact is, New Zealanders’ fear of urban sprawl is wholly misplaced.

PS: The pictures above come from a really neat Time Lapse visualisation of the world here.  Use any of the pre-programmed settings—click on Las Vegas or Shanghai if you really want to see sprawl!—or just click on “Explore the World” and play.