Utilise The Environmental Benefits Print

​Designs should work to intelligently harness the environmental benefits of our parks.

Parks should naturally manage stormwater, improve air quality, reduce flood risk and help mitigate the effects of climate change. Designs should also look to restore ecological and hydrological systems to promote healthy, thriving ecosystems. Auckland's parks should lead by example, using sustainable design ideas and showcasing these to educate and inspire the public.

Provide attractive and healthy spaces with vegetation

In urban and neighbourhood centres, civic spaces give relief from urban living. They can reduce the need for cars by providing attractive places to walk; and offer visual respite from the built form. Greenery in civic spaces also filters pollutants out of the air, reduce stormwater runoff, and provides shade for people to protect them from the sun.

Maximize the benefits of vegetation in civic spaces by:

  • understanding the wider hydrological and ecological systems, and considering how the space can help improve the functioning of these systems
  • sensitively incorporating greenery and trees to deliver environmental benefits
  • using specimen trees to guide movement through space, providing shade or shelter for people using these pathways
  • retaining any substantial or important trees where practical, and designing around them.

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