Don't forget your roots

Abstract

RESEARCH QUESTION: Can architecture revitalise a struggling suburban town by building stronger communities through the encouragement of mixed-use buildings and walkability?

ABSTRACT: Don’t forget your roots’ sets out to examine the causes of decline in suburban town centres, and more specifically, Taradale. Population growth has seen Taradale’s function in the community change from a semi-rural setting, to a suburban community. As a consequence of this growing population, suburban sprawl has filled in the land between Napier and Taradale, connecting the two towns with residential development resulting in greater dependence on Napier city at the expense of the Taradale town centre.

The consequence of this has seen the inclination of car dependance. Cars are now more common as the town of Taradale is reliant on private transport to travel to towns such as Napier that can provide them with general necessities. This project aims to decrease automotive dependency and shift the necessities from surrounding towns back to the Taradale town centre in order to help Taradale thrive yet again. By focusing on developing walkability within Taradale, this will see an influx of pedestrians and street activity which in turn will drive the success of the town. Critically, we must re-orientate the community’s focus on Taradale by rejuvenating the town centre to better meet the needs of the community. Walkability will be key to re-connecting the town centre to the community while integrating Taradale within the large system of Hawkes Bay’s cycleways. These cycleways have proven successful for both locals and tourists alike.

The intent of this project is to ensure that Taradale secures its place as a destination or node within the broader Hawkes Bay regional network. Ultimately this would create pedestrian-friendly town centres as Hawkes Bay struggles with the ongoing dependency on vehicles and the effects of sprawling suburbs onto horticulture and agricultural land. In order to address suburbs sprawling onto this land, townships such as Taradale need to seek intensification and mixed-use development.

There are a number of urban design research sources that provide precedents in the integration of walkability within an established town centre. Specifically in the case of Taradale town centre connecting to the Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT). Auckland’s Unitary Plan provides a suitable precedent for intensification of town centres providing four categories that define this; accommodation, entertainment, education and workspace.