Imagine that it's 2024, and you're on the first CRL train heading in to Tāmaki Makaurau's city centre. [Thread, 1/n]
You're in awe of the engineering marvel that used tunnel boring machines to carve the way for trains to access the city centre.
You gasp in wonder at the incredible Māori artwork in the station, speaking to this city's re-emerging cultural heritage. You swipe your HOP card at the exit, and your eyes adjust to the scene in front of you. What do you see. Stop and really think about this...
...because this can go one of two ways for the city of Tāmaki Makaurau. Is it going to be status quo above ground, despite the incredible changes made below ground?
Or should we try a different approach and apply a bit more imagination, to really achieve meaningful change?
Or should we try a different approach and apply a bit more imagination, to really achieve meaningful change?
Are we going to take advantage of the amazing opportunity in front us: to remodel our city while it's being dug up? Will we use the High Street example as a way to build the city we so desperately need sooner? Or...
....should we be waiting for CRL disruption to finish in 4 to 5 years before we start to make the changes we need to make, and dig the streets up all over again?
There's so much at stake to get this right for Tāmaki, right now.
There's so much at stake to get this right for Tāmaki, right now.
For the air we breathe, for the streets we walk and play on, for how fit and healthy we are, for how long we idle in traffic queues, for the pleasantness of our environment and our public spaces.
For the way we get deliveries, to how our tradespeople get access to the city.
For the way we get deliveries, to how our tradespeople get access to the city.
The transformation we know is coming will bring disruption.
With disruption comes change, and people changing habits.
People overcoming preconceptions, trying alternative modes of travel, learning new ways to move around the city, and doing it together.
With disruption comes change, and people changing habits.
People overcoming preconceptions, trying alternative modes of travel, learning new ways to move around the city, and doing it together.
For the coming years, alternative travel modes will not be an option. They will be a necessity, to keep the city moving. People will change, because the will have a reason.
This is our incredible gift, from the future, that will deliver true city legacy. Let's not ignore it.
This is our incredible gift, from the future, that will deliver true city legacy. Let's not ignore it.
With a different approach, and a bit more imagination, we really can achieve change.
We know what we need to do. You know what you need to do.
We know what we need to do. You know what you need to do.
