Towards sustainable urbanism? An analysis of the revitalisation process for Naenae, Aotearoa-New Zealand

Transforming carbon-intensive car-dominated established suburbs to low-carbon, sustainable urban environments is a major challenge in the realm of urbanism and climate change mitigation today (Dunham-Jones & Williamson, 2009). Revitalising declining suburban centres to be vibrant mixed use, accessible places, where most everyday human needs can be met is a key way to subvert the dominance of automobility. With the market failing to compensate for this decline, the role of local authorities in revitalisation efforts is becoming increasingly important. Yet, under some degree of ‘austerity urbanism’ (Penny, 2017) in centralised Aotearoa New Zealand (OECD, 2017), the precise mechanisms councils have to revitalise are in question.

I review recent plans by Hutt City Council to revitalise the suburban centre of Naenae, in Lower Hutt, Aotearoa New Zealand. Ten semi-structured interviews with community members and local decisions makers, along with analysis of key documents, were undertaken, grounded in a critical theory epistemology.

I find that the primary way for councils to revitalise is through renewal of council services and infrastructure, for example the proposed new integrated community hub. The council, while framing the hub proposal as a ‘rejuvenation’ activity, has failed to consider the dynamics of the centre, causing wariness and some concern on the part of citizens as to council’s actual intentions. Other revitalisation activities, such as arguably token measures, outsourcing ‘activation’ to residents, and questionable enforcement of the district plan, suggest a low commitment and capability by the council to revitalise.

Poor consultation on the community hub demonstrates a limited democratic capability or commitment by council, further exemplified by their co-production of a ‘Voice of the Community’ report with a market research company. Siloisation within the council and between levels of government was recognised as a key barrier to revitalisation, resulting in a lack of collective vision.

If the goals of sustainable urbanism are being realised in revitalisation, then in the case of Naenae they are done so weakly. The ambiguity surrounding sustainable urbanism in the wider context of the revitalisation of suburban centres in Aotearoa-New Zealand is indicative of larger institutional quandaries and inertia regarding purpose. These wider implications need to be addressed in processes such as the current refinement of a National Policy Statement on Urban Development.