PLACEnews June 2010 Issue 7
Auckland’s Learning Quarter – Where town meets gown
It is not unusual for central and local governments to have a close relationship with academic institutions but Auckland City Council is in the lucky position of having New Zealand’s largest cluster of students, researchers, teachers, innovators and creators just a mortarboard’s toss from Auckland’s central business district.
Auckland’s Learning Quarter covers 63 hectares and includes the city campuses of AUT University and The University of Auckland. These two institutions cater for about 72,500 students and workers.
The flow of the university population in and out of the CBD on a daily basis adds a youthful and evermore cosmopolitan buzz to New Zealand’s commercial and cultural centre. It also poses some unique challenges to civic management such as traffic and pedestrian pressures, retail quality and recreation opportunities.
Auckland City Council has recognised that educational institutions in the CBD can offer huge spin-offs for the city and so ‘town’ is working with ‘gown’ to define and ensure that the benefits of the universities are leveraged for Auckland’s future success.
The partners, with support from founding sponsor Committee for Auckland, have joined forces on a number of initiatives that capitalise on The Learning Quarter’s strengths to attract business investment and world-class talent. These include business, master planning and infrastructure projects that will help the two universities develop and the city to prosper.
The council’s general manager of City Development, John Duthie, says the town and gown partnership has helped identify common goals and interests and a bright future.
“Economic and social opportunities are top of the list. The universities provide fuel to the city’s economic engine. Their expertise, innovation and creativity are key drivers for a productive Auckland economy and an improved standard of living for Aucklanders.”
The Learning Quarter partnership is a paradigm shift for Auckland. It reinforces the significant contribution each partner makes to Auckland and in particular the CBD.
“One of the most tangible successes the partnership has enabled to date are two transport projects that make it easier, safer and more convenient for people to get to where they need to be across the campuses and the city,” says John.
Several small, playful, semi-permanent public art works developed by students and artists will be dotted around the Learning Quarter to add to the area’s vitality and bring the quarter’s identity to life.
“The simple fact is that by being in partnership we understand better each others’ objectives and ways of working. That goes a long way to being more effective in making decisions that support each others’ goals.”
In the foreground, Auckland's Learning Quarter nestled in Auckland CBD
