Ben van Bruggen
cityshaper.bsky.social
Ben van Bruggen
@cityshaper.bsky.social
Urbanist. Founder & CEO The Urban Room
Bringing people together to find creative solutions to tricky city issues.
The planning consent would have determined this. Desperate for the hotel the concession was made. Eventually St Patrick’s will be a traffic island….
August 19, 2025 at 11:54 PM
The ‘how’ is missing….. zoning is a blunt instrument.
August 18, 2025 at 10:02 PM
It’s what the city was built to do. Why did it take so long to realise? But, as you say, we still have some rules, often subjective, often misapplied that prevent building the city we want.
August 18, 2025 at 9:59 PM
You’re kidding?
April 3, 2025 at 7:55 PM
The humble bollard is vastly under used in Auckland.
March 11, 2025 at 1:44 AM
That’s the point, right. We are waiting for something but any casual observer just sees a parking space. Same with Fort Street - it’s a car space not a people space.
March 11, 2025 at 12:37 AM
Pretty much.
March 11, 2025 at 12:29 AM
We used to lead, then we became a follower. Now we are just trailing behind the rest.
March 9, 2025 at 8:49 PM
To underline this… a notch had be cut in the steelwork. Poor design?
March 9, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Reposted by Ben van Bruggen
Second, from 5.30-7.30pm I'm contributing to a panel event titled "Auckland 2050: Building the Future City" at the Auckland University of Technology, where I'll be making the case for a bigger and better Auckland.

You can register for this event here:
tpf.org.nz/auckland-205...
Auckland 2050 - Building the Future City 2 April 2025 | Property Foundation
Our expert panel explored the relevant tech and it’s applications, how to integrate AI into your business and highlighted important legal aspects.
tpf.org.nz
March 6, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Reposted by Ben van Bruggen
First, from 10.30-11.30am I'll be giving a talk on urban policy reforms in New Zealand at the University of Auckland. Notwithstanding a decade of progress, I'm going to make the case for wider and deeper reforms.

You can register for this event here:
www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/urban-poli...
Urban policy reforms in New Zealand
Where are we now and where might we head next?
www.eventbrite.co.nz
March 6, 2025 at 10:02 PM