What’s in the Chapter?

  • Look and feel of the city
  • Land use
  • Traffic and transport
  • Public transport

For full details, graphs etc, refer to the chapter pdf»

Key Results - Built Environment

  • The majority of residents in most of the 12 cities feel a sense of pride in their city.
  • Graffiti is significantly more likely to be rated as a problem in the 12 cities than in the rest of New Zealand (70.0% and 45.0% respectively).
  • Nearly all of the 12 cities have more than five hectares of council-managed green space for every 1,000 people (Auckland is just under, with 4.9 hectares per 1,000 people).
  • Across all 12 cities, at least 85.0% of residents consider it is easy to access a local park or green space.
  • The majority of residents from the 12 cities use a motor vehicle to get to work, ranging from 72.7% in Manukau to 45.1% in Wellington.
  • Nationally, road-based travel distance has increased by 14.0% between 1997/1998 and 2003 to 2006, with an average increase of 1.8% per year.
  • Residents of Wellington (43.0%) and Hutt (32.0%) are the highest users of public transport.
  • In most of the 12 cities, more than half of the residents consider their public transport to be affordable, safe and convenient.
  • The majority of residents in the 12 cities say it is easy to access public transport facilities.

Built Environment

This chapter looks at the many aspects of the built environment that make up a city
and can help foster a good quality of life for the city’s residents.

Why this is Important

The built urban environment contributes to the way people feel about where they live and impacts strongly on the sustainability of the natural environment. The way urban land is used to accommodate growth in households and industry also impacts on the costs and accessibility of housing, transport and employment.

Poor access to these can impact on a resident’s health, their financial wellbeing, their sense of safety and general community wellbeing.

Key Points

More Wellington residents have a sense of pride in their city than residents in any of the other 12 cities. Dunedin, Hamilton and Christchurch also rate highly on city pride.

All but one city have more than five hectares of council managed green space for every 1,000 people (Auckland was just slightly under at 4.9 hectares per 1,000 residents).

Dunedin, Christchurch and Tauranga all recorded very high rates at 26.6, 19.3 and 18.4 respectively.

Residents’ perceptions of the affordability, safety and convenience of their public transport systems vary widely across the 12 cities. The highest level of public transport use is in Wellington, which also has the lowest proportion of motor vehicle ownership. Four of the Auckland region cities (North Shore, Rodney, Manukau and Waitakere) have the highest levels of motor vehicle ownership.

Overall, the motor vehicle is still the dominant mode of transport to workplaces across New Zealand.
Auckland and Manukau residents are more likely to find noise pollution a problem in their city, while Dunedin residents do not perceive this as a problem. Graffiti is identified as a problem by residents in most cities, although perceptions vary as to the extent of the problem.

Look and Feel of the City

  • The majority of residents in most of the 12 cities feel a sense of pride in their city.
  • Graffiti is significantly more likely to be rated as a problem in the 12 cities than in the rest of New Zealand.

Land Use

  • All but one of the 12 cities have more than five hectares of council managed green space for every 1,000 people.
  • Across all 12 cities, the majority of residents surveyed considered it was easy to access a local park or green space.

Traffic and Transport

  • The majority of residents from the 12 cities use a motor vehicle to get to work, except in Wellington.
  • In most cities, more than half of the residents consider their public transport to be affordable, safe and convenient.

Public Transport

  • Residents of Wellington and Hutt are the highest users of public transport.
  • In most cities, more than half of the residents consider public transport to be affordable, safe and convenient.
  • The majority of residents in the 12 cities (except those in Rodney) say it is easy to access a public transport facility (e.g. bus stop).