Toward a humanistic city plan: Moving beyond forbidding monoliths to civic value and placemaking

Auckland City symbolises some of the ways in which these changes have occurred, and Aotea Square is an archetype of the outcome. Aotea Square is known as the site of a civic centre, projected to be the focal point of civic life. It is the one place able to be called the ‘heart’ of the City. Designed in the mid-20th century and despite intentions, Aotea Square has however resulted in a dismal and unused space which remains an unsuccessful urban place to this day.

The idea of ‘finding lost spaces’ is the incentive of this thesis. Spatial development and social ecology of Auckland have been manoeuvred by the design of standalone buildings and accommodation of cars. 

This thesis implements the theoretical grounding of academics like Roger Trancik and Jan Gehl, as well as Ewing and Clemente, accordingly to the scale of Auckland City.

Reflecting upon a distinct spectrum of disciplines, this thesis aims to comprehend how the unparalleled shift of Auckland’s civic centre has led to lost spaces. These areas have poorly prioritised public spaces, pedestrianism, and the role of the city space as a meeting place for urban dweller. As a result, we have seen the start of a process that erodes conditions necessary for people to engage in city life.

This thesis promotes theories and principles of urban design as a stimulus for designing successful places. It provides a degree of reliability and validity to measure and understand how a place functions as a successful urban space. Thus, it suggests a speculative urbanism that aspires to encourage positive settings between the buildings.