A City of Neighbourhoods

A City of Neighbourhoods

A City of Neighbourhoods is a podcast series by Auckland Urban Development Office.

  1. Jeremy Hansen on Placemaking: Private Investment as a Public Good

    JAN 15

    Jeremy Hansen on Placemaking: Private Investment as a Public Good

    Jeremy Hansen is Director of Communications and Community at Cooper and Company, the people behind Auckland's highly successful Britomart precinct. Jeremy's contribution to Auckland and Aotearoa, however, is even broader - he has co-written and edited several important books on architecture and urban design, is a frequent contributor to national print and online media, and hosts the popular podcast 76 Small Rooms. Britomart is one of Auckland's greatest examples of placemaking - turning an under-loved precinct into sought after commercial space and popular public realm. So, Jeremy has a key role in a company that has curated and delivered an optimal mix of premium commercial spaces, conserved heritage and an attractive public realm - infused with visual elements that place Britomart in the cultural context of Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa. We were thrilled to get Jeremy's perspective on placemaking. (0:00) Introduction (1:30) An Interest in Architecture (3:11) How Cooper and Company is Not a Regular Property Developer (4:15) The Britomart Precinct (5:50) The History of the Precinct (9:26) How Public Transport Transformed the Area (13:20) How Public Goods Give Better Returns over the Long Term (18:12) The Value of Public Art in the Precinct (21:31) The Changing Attitude towards Public Art (23:17) The Influence of Workplaces on Social Wellbeing (28:12) The Effects of Local Government Policies on People-based Experiences (30:37) The Scale of Transformation in the City Centre (31:56) Challenges in the City Centre (34:11) Placemaking as an Ongoing Service (41:51) Farewell Jeremy Hansen on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeroski/ Britomart website: https://britomart.org/community/

    43 min
  2. We talk with Adrienne Young-Cooper about opportunities for the City Centre

    05/20/2025

    We talk with Adrienne Young-Cooper about opportunities for the City Centre

    In this episode, we speak to Adrienne Young-Cooper. Adrienne is a currently a full-time, non-executive company director and trustee on a number of entities and organisations. This follows a leading public-sector career and running a medium-sized consultancy. She has specialised in transport (land, aviation and maritime) sectors, social housing and urban and property development and investment. In this episode, Adrienne shares her belief that Auckland's city centre would benefit from two things: increasing its residential population and turning it into the economic heart of the country by making it the primary location for our biggest companies. As someone who spends time outside the city for work, she also acknowledges that the rest of New Zealand see that if Auckland does well, then the whole country benefits. (0:00) Introduction (1:16) Our issues are the same and they are very different (3:51) What we can do to increase City Centre residents (8:26) Why resistance to change is the same everywhere (12:41) What solutions were there for homelessness in the City Centre (15:36) How there is scope for more solutions to homelessness (16:39) The solutions go beyond housing (18:03) Where specialist governance can be successful (23:25) How other parts of the country see Auckland (26:49) Auckland's conditions demand different aproaches (27:56) The economic priority for Auckland City Centre (30:57) Farewell

    31 min

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A City of Neighbourhoods is a podcast series by Auckland Urban Development Office.