95bFM Revitisaling Queen Street: What should Auckland’s busiest street look like?
22 June, 2023
Interview by Simon Wraight
Auckland Transport (AT) and the Auckland Council are working on remodelling Queen Street to make it more pedestrian-friendly by limiting areas where cars can travel through.
However, senior lecturer in Architecture and Planning at the University of Auckland, Bill McKay, says we need to make Queen Street more attractive and purpose-built. Photo: Queen Street, Auckland CBD.
Auckland’s Queen Street is seeing foot traffic return to rates similar to pre-lockdowns. But, the city's busiest street is now facing accessibility challenges for Aucklanders who walk, cycle, use micro-mobility vehicles, and public transport.
AT is going ahead with plans to limit access to private motor vehicles towards the bottom of the road, making the street “a place to come to, not through”.
However, senior lecturer in Architecture and Planning at the University of Auckland, Bill McKay, told 95bFM’s The Wire that AT needs to carefull consider its approach to revitalising Queen Street.
"At the moment we've got lots of walkable space, the foot paths are wider, but you're walking past a lot of empty shops with for lease on them. We need to think about what else we can do to make it more attractive."
“It’s all good stuff that we’re doing but it's kind of too much and it's killing a lot of the local stuff that's happening.”
McKay criticised AT for their lack of communication with locals who live in the city about what they would like to see for the street.
“Auckland Transport is a silo; they are a council-controlled agency. They tend not to listen to local people.”
"Queen Street is more walkable at the moment but if we are trying to get an Uber or groceries dropped off, there is nowhere to park."
Mckay said that Karangahape Road is "one of the best streets in Auckland" and that Queen Street should be better connected to it.
"It's got a lot of its own character, life, people, and interesting small businesses."
Another idea for the street McKay proposed would be reviving the Waihorotiu Stream which the street was built over, like the Cheonggyecheon Stream in Seoul, South Korea.
"All that water is still there, it's just in pipes under the ground. I think we could kill two birds with one stone by harvesting a lot of rain water and making our city more resilent when it comes to flooding and climate change."
He believes more focus should be placed on addressing housing needs in the city.
“As businesses are slowing down and people are working from home, we should focus more on housing people; it is cheaper to convert existing spaces into apartment buildings.”
McKay said empty buildings on Queen Street would be better used for student accommodation, and that students would be primary customers to local restaurants and shops.
“If there’s one thing about Auckland Central, it’s the students that give it light and vitality.”
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
