|
Our cities are not sustainable. Co-ordinated and focused action is required on:
- Planning for long-term growth in cities
- Managing and minimizing waste streams
- Preserving biodiversity, air and water quality
- Increasing the use of alternatives to the private motor vehicle
- Promoting business development that creates sustainable employment
- Encouraging youth participation in education and training
- Growing work and work skills to match employer needs
Community safety has improved in some areas, but further work is required on:
-
Improving child safety including intentional and unintentional injury
- Reducing offending among children and young people
- Reducing graffiti and anti-social behaviour
- Increasing safety in city and town centres ( especially at night )
- Reducing the incidences of violent and sexual offences
Managing diversity is a key challenge. We need to think ahead and:
- Plan for the relevant ages of city populations (urban planning and planning of services)
- Manage immigration policy and its effects
- Act to curb population-based health such as meningococcal disease, tuberculosis and type 2 diabetes
- Facilitate activities that stimulate a sense of inclusion in ethnic communities and older people.
Connectedness is still an issue. Areas where city councils can play a role are:
- The co-ordination and integration of transport infrastructure and services (roads, rail, ferries, cycleways, footpaths and walkways)
- Ensuring programmes to include immigrants in city activities
- Encouraging innovative technology to link people, places and programmes
Socio-economic disadvantage is still impacting on quality of life. Continuing action is required:
- Across socio-economic groups particularly in health, education and employment
- To invest in children
- On housing affordability and crowding (particularly across the Auckland region)
People want to be more involved in decision making. City councils can facilitate:
- Community information and engagement
- Ongoing improvement in the way they involve Maori in decision-making
- Improved voter turnout
Ongoing monitoring is important. A collective effort is required to ensure:
- The availability of data to support comparable monitoring and decision-making
- Alignment of social, economic, environmental and cultural Indicators
Working together is essential.
The next steps in the Quality of Life project include working together with Government, partner organisations, and
city councils on the above points for action.
The creation of the ministerial portfolio of Urban Affairs signals the Government’s intention to build an understanding of urban issues within Government. Working on the points for action and other matters in this report, will help shape strategies for quality of life and sustainable cities to strengthen the development of urban centres in New Zealand.
|
Questionnaire