The Auckland Sustainability Framework, Urbanisation, and Low Impact Design in the Auckland Region (New Zealand)

The Auckland region is New Zealand's most populous region (1.4 million) and concentrated urban centre, growing at a rate of 63 people per day. The region is confronted with a number of challenges, which can be grouped into five main categories: (1) responding to climate change, (2) doing more with less, (3) capitalising on global economic change, (4) managing population growth and demographic change, and (5) addressing disadvantage. Moreover, within the Auckland region, stormwater is recognised as having the largest impact on the freshwater and marine ecosystems with flow-on adverse impacts on the social, cultural and economic values of the regional community. To respond to these challenges, the Auckland Sustainability Framework (ASF) was developed. Low impact design / low impact urban design and development are stormwater and urban design management approaches that support ASF objectives and improve stormwater outcomes. In this paper, the ASF and low impact design are explained against the backdrop of growth, urbanisation (i.e., land development, re-development and urban intensification) and other pressures faced by the Auckland region.