Transport—Walking and Cycling

1.      Walking and cycling

Walking and cycling are two environmentally friendly modes of transportation, and it has low impact to environment, especially for shorter trips. Walking and cycling are very easy to get compared with other transport systems and modes. They are responsive and adaptable to changes, such as fuel shortages and price increases, and also healthy alternatives. Low cost and none cost transport modes are their key reason for transport options.

2.      Benefits of walking and cycling

Walking and cycling promotes healthy living and improved fitness, which can contributes to overall increases in productivity. They are effective to produce the pressure on road space and thus improve the environmental sustainability of the transport system by reducing harmful emissions, using less space per person, and decreasing fossil fuels burnt and modest infrastructure requirements. They also increases social interaction through creating vibrant streets which are socially safe – promotes social inclusion and community life as they are available to nearly everybody, regardless of their age, gender, education or income. Moreover, they ensure almost accesses are achievable to everyone. And most important, they have great value for money.

3.      Barriers for walking and cycling

There are three barriers for walking and cycling, physical barriers, psychological barriers, and institutional barriers. Physical barriers include distance and conditions, lack of infrastructure, inappropriate infrastructure, unsafe infrastructure or disconnected infrastructure from the right origins to destinations. Psychological barriers, for example, anxiety about crime and fear of traffic, need to be interpreted by professional psychologist. Institutional barriers consists of inadequate initial and ongoing investment in infrastructure, external costs of not using private vehicles and historical neglect of pedestrian/cyclist interests in government administrations etc.

Transport—Effective Public Transport

Public transport is increasingly called on to serve diverse objectives – ranging from providing mobility to the disadvantaged through to alleviating traffic congestion – while making efficient use of financial resources. The challenge for public transport seems daunting. It must cater for travellers with very different needs, ranging from peak-period access to the CBD to all-day access to local shops and community centres. It also needs to provide attractive service frequencies and operating hours for multiple destinations, while maintaining high occupancy rates. One approach to diverse travel patterns is to provide separate services for different markets: express buses and trains for peak commuters; regular buses for local trips along busy corridors; paratransit for low-demand corridors and times. The problem with this approach is that the more public transport becomes tailor-made, the more it surrenders its environmental and economic advantages. A public transport system offering a direct service between every origin and destination would have low frequencies, low occupancies, high costs and high greenhouse emissions per passenger.

The alternative is networks. This approach enables ‘anywhere-to-anywhere’ travel while keeping occupancy rates high, by carrying different kinds of travellers on the same services. Transfers are integral to a public transport system that offers access to a large number of potential destinations at an affordable cost to the operator. Traditional public transport planning has treated transfers as an inconvenience to be avoided at all costs, but the network approach makes them the building blocks of a mult-idestinational system. While transfers present many new travel opportunities, they also impose inconvenience. Creating effective transfer-based public transport systems requires careful planning to ensure that the inconvenience is reduced to the minimum possible. Four key elements underpin the creation of high-quality, transfer-based networks:

1. A simple line structure: simplicity makes the network easier for passengers to understand, and it reduces the resources that an operator must provide.

2. Stable line and operating patterns: a network must also be stable. The idea is to provide a consistent, high-quality service across the network all day, rather than operating different service types in peak, off-peak, night and weekend time periods.

3. Convenient transfers: easy transferring requires attention to timetables and physical facilities. ‘Random’ transfers are possible when all lines serving an interchange point operate frequently, generally every 10 minutes or better. ‘Timed’ transfers are needed when services are less frequent, and the timetables for connecting lines must be coordinated.

4. Appropriate institutions and fare systems: fare systems must allow free transfers. The pooling of fare revenues is essential for this; and to allow cross subsidies. Planning on a whole-of-system basis seems to require a single responsible regional agency.

Transport—Traffic Demand Management

TDM is an abstraction of ‘Travel (or Transportation) Demand Management’, it is defined as “a set of tools to offer people better travel information and opportunities and help people choose to reduce their need to travel especially by car. TDM is wide-ranging and covers tools and techniques ranging from land use planning to educating workplaces on the benefits of introducing parking management systems” recently .

The reason why TDM was introduced is traffic problems, which exist and have a potential increase in metropolis area. It seems that of efficient solutions are not widen the road to enhance the infrastructure, or limit the driving speed any more, but other way, more practical and effective immediately.

Travel Demand Management is measures that used to induce, encourage, persuade, or enforce individuals to change their travel habits and favours by offering direct and indirect choices, and consequently moderate the sequent that are generated by increasing traffic congestion, and even social, economic, and environmental problems, for instance, air pollution, noise pollution, excessive consumption of nonrenewable natural resources and so on. Travel Demand Management is strategies and policies, which keen to concern the implementation and influence of travelers’ behaviour, in a way of changing their travel mode, decreasing the usage of vehicles, or restricting their use in time or in space. In another words, TDM anticipate to encourage employers and employees choose other ways of transportation rather than the private car. In a manner of speaking, positive impacts on land use, health, and social, economic and environmental significance that are generated by TDM could be seen in the long term.

TDM measures are a sequence of policies, and can be regulations with aims of influencing individuals and their behaviour, on reducing private vehicle usage, providing alternative choices, and restricting their actions. Several methods are included in TDM measures, such as, ‘pull and push’ measures, regulatory, planning policies, and pricing. ‘Pull’ measures refer to policies or regulations that encourage alternative of transportation mode, whereas, ‘push’ measures refer to policies or regulations that discourage individuals’ vehicle use.

Another concept of TDM measures category is non-fiscal measures and fiscal measures. Non-fiscal measures include those policies that are adopted by planners and policy makers, and fiscal measures are relevant to costs, in another word, costs that related to individuals, such as fuel taxes, parking charges.

Governance—How to meet the challenges of Auckland Governance Reform

The governing body is the strategies, policies, and decision-maker in regional scale, so as the leader of the region the new Auckland Council is responsible for what it is going to do. Firstly, the governing body should constitute reasonable instruments at the first place in a big picture, efficient, reliable, and executable strategies determine the sustainability of development and well-beings (economic, social, environmental, and cultural). Secondly, relationships between governing body and local boards, as well as other communities and groups should be enhanced. Because only if these institutions execute, communicate, interrelate, and co-operate perfectly and there could be pleasurable sustainable development. Thirdly, the governing body has to always put people first, consider what people are thinking, concerns what people mostly need, make decisions on the behalf of its own people. Fourthly, figure out ways to balance the sustainable development and population growth, and meanwhile, protect environment. Fifthly, the governing body and local boards have to pursue a sustainable development approach, and apply it in the different levels. Sixthly, the governing body should try its best to ensure the equity and equality, and decrease the gap between the rich and the poor as well. Infrastructures of communities must be maintained and enhanced in terms of improving people’s living standard and quality of life.

Governance—Major Challenges of Auckland Governance Reform

According to the Royal Commission’s report, several main challenges are facing the new city council, its associated institutions, and its planning and policy instruments. The first challenge is ‘to address the inefficiencies’, the second one is ‘to ensure effective service delivery through a united governance structure’, the third challenge is ‘to address the poor history of Auckland’s infrastructure development and to have greater community involvement’, and the fourth challenge is the problems generated by population growth. Population growth increases in a rapid speed in Auckland. And According to Dr Bruce Hucker’s report, the population of Auckland can achieve to two million by the year of 2031. It is all about the populations that concerns. People need food, clothes, and shelter to satisfy their basic needs. And further more would be pressure on social and physical infrastructure. How to manage limitless development demand within a limit resource circumstance, how to resolve the conflicts between development and environment, how to shorten the gap between the rich and the poor, how to ensure the equity and the equality, how to maintain well-being in economic, social, cultural, and environmental context, how to allocate the funding for local boards, how to resolve education problems, how to change the actuality that already existed, such as household crowding, how to do their duty efficiently for both governing body and local boards, how to improve the living standard of Aucklanders, and how to enhance the quality of life in Auckland region, all of these problems are contributed by rapid population growth.

Governance—Key Issues of Auckland Governance Reform

There is not a strategy that is fully integrated or aligned to provide a clearly oriented goal in the region’s vision, although the fact is that plenty of strategies are generated.

Lack of crucial decision maker and fragmented governance structure give rise to adversely impact on economic and community development. The possibility of developing and prospering in Auckland region was resulted in by weak accountability, fragmented and complex decision-making processes, and competing leadership. Fragmented powers and accountabilities for funding and services directly resulted in fails of delivering on strategy. The conflict between the city councils and the regional council, as most of the wealth of the region is controlled by the city councils, and obviously the regional council could not get sufficient funding. Decisions often seems to be located at wrong government (national or local sphere) while the original intentions are for the region. ‘There is no sufficient revenue at the regional level’.  The complex and fragmented governance structure causes uncertainty, unclearly, and misunderstanding, in another word, the Auckland lacks of single voice and straight goal. Lack of funders is crucial impacts on decision making, extremely significant for transport. The government relies too much on statutory and voluntary joint decision-making fora. ‘There are inefficiencies and inconsistent standards and financial impacts due to duplication and transaction costs’.

Governance—Auckland Governance Reforms

In the new Auckland City Council, there will be two decision-making groups or tiers—the Mayor of Auckland and professional counselors as the governing body, and local boards which are component by 21 boards.

As the governing body, the Mayor is elected to provide leadership, and has crucial powers to articulate and promote a vision for Auckland, as well as the purpose of achieving the vision. As Rodney Hide said in his speech:

    ‘The Mayor will lead the development of Council plans, policies and budgets, and ensure there is effective engagement between the Auckland Council and the people of Auckland’.

Although, local boards take their responsibilities in different scale compared with the governing body. Local boards are assistance for governing body, although they are completely new regime for local government, they are very important in local decisions making, activities action, and facilities maintaining. One of their duties is to assistant the governing body to provide better communities in terms of well ensured community interests. Moreover, the consent of policies, strategies, plans and by-laws are always concerned by local boards to create wonderful communities by promoting well-being. And it is local boards’ obligation that gives the Auckland Council preferences on how to allocate the funding in their local areas.

There is also a vital component of the reforms—the Auckland Transition Agency (ATA), which was established in 2009, guides, manage, and oversee the relationships between the new council and the local boards in the process of forming the new city council. ATA, although it existed once the new Auckland Council was established, it helped the council and local boards retained their responsibilities, as well as determined the decision-making. ATA provided a guide of how the relationships between the governing body and local boards are going to be in its very short lifetime until November of 2010.

Other important institutions are the Council Controlled Organisations (CCO’s), Auckland Council Investment Ltd (ACIL), Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development Ltd (TEED), Regional Facilities Auckland (RFA), Auckland Council Property Ltd (ACPL), and the Auckland Waterfront Development Agency (AWDA).

Maori Advisory board and additional Pacific and Ethnic Advisory panels are other important governance structures in new Auckland City.

Economy—Economic Development Strategy in Hamilton City

First, the Hamilton Council should confirm leaders to take responsibilities of economy, in order to extend the city’s network widely in an international vision. Leaders can help with the decision maker and announce success stories in Hamilton. Celebration, which is an inspiration to the next generation of business leaders, is integrant when success happens. And at the same time ensure the resources to deliver on the strategies. There are some flagship projects:

·         Business Hamilton Communication—develops a shared business brand for the city.

·         Hamilton Leadership Progamme—establishes a leadership programme for Hamilton’s emerging business leaders.

Second, the government should take advantage of the location of Hamilton, ensure the business environments are provided in the future, and satisfy the businesses’ requirement. Take the location as an example, wherever businesses want to be located the government is providing. The council needs to provide a coordinated information service for business, and ensure investors understand this information as comprehensive as possible. Four crucial flagship projects are: Digital Hamilton, Hamilton Business Gateway, City Heart Revitalisation, and Hamilton International Airport Study.

Third, as a guide or hierarch, the council seeks to explore and develop new business, new market, and new ideas and techniques to improve economic development in a competitive global economy environment. The council seeks to develop export sectors—food, manufacturing and engineering. And the actual projects are: Ruakura Innovation Precinct, Food Innovation, and Visitor Attraction.

Fourth, to improve productivity by introducing into new techniques, attracting skilled employees, and ensuring local young people of full time education. The local government needs to support expand of small companies in Hamilton City. Two major projects are: Hamilton Skills Action Plan, and Hamilton Network.

Fifth, local government can provide opportunities to enterprises to widen the enterprise culture. An encouraged and supported business environment is necessary for enterprises. Government not only provides a right environment to start and development, but also guides and support in all stages of the processes. Certainly, finance support is one of the most factors to encourage enterprises. The council gives supports of growth funding and provides access of cooperating with other investors. The representative projects are: Creative Industries Incubator, Greenfields Network, and Hamilton Enterprise Launch Pad.

Economy—Strengths and Weakness of Economy in New Zealand

New Zealand has a high level of physical capital, but low population density means the cost of infrastructure is high and New Zealand does not produce many types of physical capital outside of building and construction.

New Zealand’s financial system has been resilient in the current crisis, and the country scores very highly for integrity and low corruption. Nevertheless businesses and observers often identify difficult access to financial capital as a constraint on enterprise expansion.

New Zealand has a comprehensive education system, but with a large tail of underachievement and long-standing concerns about weak connections between employers and educators (secondary and tertiary). Appropriately directed investment in human capital can promote inclusiveness of the whole population and address shortages of skills demanded by employers. Life-long learning through adult education is important to encourage participation as skill needs change over time.

New Zealand has abundant natural resources and global reputation for clean and green practices, which are attractive to overseas consumers and tourists. The image is under threat in some segments of the market, including for example recent debates about ‘food miles’.

New Zealand has strong international and domestic networks that aid economic well-being. There is evidence that greater networking of businesses with each other and their communities enhances business development.

New Zealand has inherited important values from previous generations that are foundational for economic well-being. The fact that English is the country’s dominant language is an international advantage. It has also been stated that New Zealand culture does not acknowledge business success or support community leadership as well as in some countries.

Planning—Te Hana (research)

Te Hana, a traditional Maori community, located in the north of Auckland. There are 138 people 63 families live in the community, and majority people are Maori (90%) and Pacific. It takes only one hour from North Shore Bridge to Te Hana, besides, as a result of its beautiful view and culture, it is getting more attractive. However, there are some exist problems which due to its special geographical position are drawing the attention from the new Auckland Council. A Maori village proposal, together with its associated infrastructure proposal was submitted to the Auckland Council, in order to create a better community to support the unemployment and local economy.

Te Hana is a special community which is a part of the oldest, biggest, and most traditional tribe in Auckland. Moreover, it has lots of history both pre and post European. Te Hana village is the gateway of North and Auckland, and the beautiful view of its community is a treasure to Auckland, the unemployment is much lower compared with other communities’ (Gracefarm, no date). However, quite a few people know about Te Hana, not even its traditional Maori culture and historical value in New Zealand history.

Actually, the critical issue of Te Hana community is the importance of its historical, geographical, and cultural status is not recognised by other people, the council is included. To introduce Te Hana to New Zealand residents and international tourists is, in the one hand, a great way to understand and appreciate Maori history and culture, and on the other hand, a win-win solution to create more job opportunities and increase cross-cultural communication with other countries.

Planning—Human Rights and Community Plan

Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible.  Universal human rights are often expressed and guaranteed by law, in the forms of treaties, customary international law, general principles and other sources of international law. International human rights law lays down obligations of Governments to act in certain ways or to refrain from certain acts, in order to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms of individuals or groups.

However, first class people do not think it is a problem, because they live a very good quality of life, which means their freedom, religion, education, schooling, food, water, shelter, movement, fair trial, security, right to vote, and health. But that is the concept that a government takes extra cares on. New Zealand has two main covenants—International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and International Covenant on Economic, social and cultural rights.

Community Planning is defined as a process "by which the public services provided in the area of the local authority are provided and the planning of that provision takes place". Local authorities have a duty to initiate, maintain and facilitate this process and Scottish Ministers have a duty to promote and encourage the use of Community Planning.

A number of public sector organisations are statutory partners in Community Planning. These include the local authority, health board, fire, police, enterprise agency and transport partnership. In addition to the statutory partners, Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs) typically involve other public, voluntary, and community and private sector partners.

Planning—Diversity and planning

Planning for Diversity means constructing approaches to spatial planning, which address difference and equality of opportunity. Diversity needs to address difference as well as discrimination social exclusion and environmental injustice. Since difference by itself cannot capture all inequalities, diversity becomes benign without a strong link to equality.

Equal opportunities and diversity are not mutually exclusive. Equality should be the normative value underpinning diversity, giving it teeth and meaning. Equality means ensuring that people with different needs have equality of opportunity and outcome. Diversity without equality addresses only difference. Diversity with equality also addresses power.

Diversity is ‘a state or quality of being different or varied, a point of difference’. Across a large part of the world, people tend to use the term ‘difference’ to refer to the state of being unlike the majority and diversity as the quality of being different. Difference tends to need a reference point to make sense.

One of the characteristics of the relationship between a powerful and a less powerful group is that the norms and values of the powerful are well known to the less powerful men survival may even be dependent on that knowledge. However, the powerful group do not have the same need to know a great deal about the less powerful. The idea of getting to know one another better and learning to appreciate and value differences needs to take account of, both the impact of the power imbalance, and the need to undo some of the damaging stereotypes and misconceptions that may have served to reinforce the power imbalance.