Reconciling Amenity and Intensification in New Zealand's Coastal Suburbs: An Island Bay Case Study

With the global and national populations predicted to increase, the location of new residences provides a planning challenge. Intensification of existing areas has been identified as an alternative to urban sprawl (constant development at the edges of cities), but it has been suggested that opposition to intensification is greatest in desirable locations. As a result, this thesis examines how the tension between amenity and intensification can be overcome to allow for future growth in New Zealand’s coastal suburbs. A review of the existing research indicates a gap exists in the literature regarding the suburban coast, so a study of national and international coastal suburbs was conducted in order to develop an understanding of patterns and relationships within these areas. A survey of international suburbs examines the relationships between housing types and density, in order to identify the potential that different housing types offer to an intensification project. A design case study located in Wellington’s Island Bay applies and tests the findings of the previous chapters. The research finds that rather than an inherent tension existing between amenity and intensification, intensification has significant potential to increase amenity when planned at an urban scale, and that this may be best applied around a public waterfront. While the research presents a set of design guidelines to assist in the reconciliation of amenity and intensification, further research needs to be conducted into the mechanics of implementing such a scheme, especially with regard to its economic and community acceptance aspects.