Planning

Urban Design

What is urban design?

The Urban Design Protocol released by the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) in March 2005 defines urban design as “the design of the buildings, places, spaces and networks that make up our towns and cities, and the way people use them.”

Urban design is about creating a good quality built environment for our towns and cities, and involves participation from communities and organisations including property developers and Council.

Urban design and the Upper Hutt City Council

A guiding document for urban design in New Zealand is the “Urban Design Protocol” published in 2005 by the Ministry for the Environment.  The Upper Hutt City Council became a signatory to the Urban Design Protocol in April 2008.

As a signatory to the Urban Design Protocol, Upper Hutt City Council has appointed as an “Urban Design Champion” His Worship the Mayor Wayne Guppy.  The purpose of the urban design champion is to provide strong leadership needed to promote and keep urban design on the agenda.

Furthermore, Upper Hutt City Council has developed an “Urban Design Action Plan” approved by Council 12 August 2009.  This Action Plan includes a number of actions within each of the following categories:
 

• Increase awareness, understanding and capacity within Upper Hutt City Council.
• Champion urban design within the community.
• Develop Strategy and Policy.
• Establish tools to help deliver urban design objectives.
• Monitor and review / reporting.

Council will monitor and report on the implementation of the Urban Design Action Plan on an
ongoing basis with biannual reporting to the Ministry for the Environment required.

Urban design publications

Upper Hutt City Council has produced the following documents that relate to urban design:
 

	Upper Hutt City: Design Guidelines for Crime Prevention through Environmental Design, July 2009  (2.98M)
	Design Guide For Comprehensive Residential Development  (528K) (please note this design guide forms part of Proposed Plan Change 18.  Proposed Plan Change 18 is not operative)

Further information

For further information on urban design at the Upper Hutt City Council please email or phone
the Council planning team on (04) 527-2169.

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