Casting a critical eye over development in Auckland's city centre

Auckland's CBD has hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons in recent times. It's been plagued by a number of issues kicked off by the pandemic, a keenly felt absence of international tourists, workers reluctant to return to the office, an exodus of retailers from the midtown and Aotea Square area and ongoing, noisy and ugly disruption caused by the construction of the City Rail Link. The CBD is home to 45,000 residents - but has development been piecemeal and lacking in cohesion and committment to wellbeing?. Julie Stout is an Auckland architect, urbanist and a Professional Teaching Fellow in the masters programme at the University of Auckland's School of Architecture and Planning. Earlier this year, she was the first woman to be awarded the Te Kahui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects Gold Medal for lifetime achievement. Julie Stout sees a troubling landscape in the city centre but also signs of promise for great design.