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.
Indeed it is not as bad as some make out however what people forget is that some are forced off their land due to the inefficient land tax aka rating system that makes no allowances if someone wants to stay on their farm/block of land etc due to the pressures of your common sprawl and land value increase. Isn't there a better way to ensure those who want to keep their farm can do so without being rated off?
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