The Aotearoa Urban Street Planning and Design Guide (the Street Guide or the Guide) draws on local and global best practice, road safety knowledge and safe system principles. It supports work by local councils and the wider sector community of practice in continuing to support operation of the transport system in New Zealand in line with best practice.
The Street Guide is the 2024 winner of the Charlie Challenger Award for supreme excellence in landscape planning. The New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects Tuia Pito Ora (NZILA) also recognised the project as the winner of the Master Planning and Urban Design Strategy category.
“The Guide provides a framework for the movement, place-shaping and function of urban streets to support staff, designers, contractors, local councils, industry and the community. It also supports a new national roads classification system, the One Network Framework. The aim is safe inclusive streets for movement of people, goods and services, as well as improvement in health, resilience and climate adaptation,” said the judges.
“The breadth of this engagement and collaboration has enabled use of the Guide in planning, design and implementation across Aotearoa.”
The Guide is the result of a scoping and content development stage that involved extensive engagement with a diverse range of subject matter experts and stakeholders. The project was led by New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) with support from Boffa Miskell landscape architects and urban designers, in collaboration with MR Cagney and Mein Urban Design.
The Street Guide is a comprehensive, integrated resource that consolidates a diverse cross-section of government policy and strategic direction, and current and emerging best-practice on the planning and design of urban streets relevant to Aotearoa. It demonstrates a range of tools, techniques, and digital links to local, national and global resources.
The Guide links the NACTO Global Street Design Guide principles with unique Aotearoa guidance that is grounded in an ethos of ‘He Whenua, He Tāngata’ (People and Place) – reflecting the shared relationship between land, people and place. The Guide gives effect to key New Zealand national transport strategies such as Road to Zero and incorporates measures to contribute to Aotearoa’s climate change response.
This project was led by Sam Bourne and Jane Nalder of Waka Kotahi (NZTA), with Stuart Houghton leading the nine-strong team from Boffa Miskell. The project reference group comprised seven government entities, a Technical Advisor Group of 14 local governments, and 23 other national groups. The ‘He Whenua, He Tāngata’ cultural framework was led by Ngā Aho members William Hatton, Rebecca Kiddle and Olivia Haddon. The breadth of this engagement and collaboration has enabled use of the Guide in planning, design and implementation across Aotearoa.
The Guide has been formally adopted and ratified and provides a framework for delivering on movement and place and shaping form and function in planning and designing urban streets in Aotearoa. The Street Guide supports transport systems, inclusive access and the creation of safe, vibrant communities through street planning and design. It is a significant resource for enabling the development of further policies, tools and resources to help improve the planning, design and delivery of urban street outcomes.
Boffa Miskell won the NZILA Charlie Challenger Supreme Award — 2024
This project, led by Sam Bourne and Jane Nalder of Waka Kotahi (NZTA), with the nine strong team of Boffa Miskell, had a project reference group of 7 government entities, a Technical Advisor Group of 14 local governments, and 23 other national groups. He whenua He tangata is the cultural framework which was led by Ngā Aho members William Hatton, Rebecca Kiddle and Olivia Haddon. The breadth of this engagement and collaboration has enabled use of the Guide in planning, design and implementation across Aotearoa.
Image Credits: Boffa Miskell
