Reconsidering Richmond

The housing crisis is not a new concept in New Zealand. Rising land and construction prices have contributed to unaffordable housing. As the demand for housing has increased in line with population growth, we are faced with no more developable land in the town centres. This has led Kiwis to the outskirts of the town in search of a slice of the quarter-acre dream lifestyle. Developments are occurring in these areas to keep up with the demand, contributing to the urban sprawl.

This has led to:• Developers looking for cheaper land to subdivide, this is typically productive arable land.

• New developments are placing a large strain on the old infrastructure networks (roads, public transport, amenities).

• The lack of density has dissipated the energy and life out of the town centre.

Richmond is just one example where urban sprawl has been prevalent over the last 10-15 years. Urban sprawl has developed larger suburban areas further away from the town centre. This has caused residents to rely on car transport to get to local suburban shops and Nelson’s town centre, creating a dormitory suburb.

In Aotearoa high-density living is traditionally perceived as an unattractive way of living with little to no outdoor space or sense of home/personality within the apartment layout, or materiality selection.

This research implements a research through design approach to investigate how dense housing and public amenities can regenerate the suburban public realm. Quality high-density living has the potential to create a high-quality living environment that provides an engaging solution to the current New Zealand high-density housing model.