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Measuring neighbourhood sustainability: a New Zealand example K. Lietz1 & D. Bijoux2 1 2

Hobsonville Land Company, New Zealand Beacon Pathway Incorporated, New Zealand

Abstract Hobsonville Point is New Zealand’s largest urban development. Located in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, it includes 3000 new homes, two new schools, shops, community facilities, parks and walkways, a waterfront precinct and a new ferry into downtown Auckland. 20% of homes are sold at a more affordable price point and the development is delivered through public private partnership. Founded on a strong sustainability vision the development is underpinned by a sustainable development framework, with performance indicators, developed in 2007. Six years on the first stage of development is complete and residents have moved in. To begin to assess the performance of this first neighbourhood, the developer, Hobsonville Land Company, teamed up with independent researchers, Beacon Pathway, to undertake a comprehensive sustainability assessment. This assessment used the Neighbourhood Sustainability Framework and associated tools developed by Beacon Pathway. The approach combines an observational assessment of the built environment with a resident survey that explores how residents experience their neighbourhood. Data on energy and water consumption were also sourced. Very positive results were recorded, with particular strengths in walking access to every day facilities, protection and enhancement of the natural environment, dwelling sustainability, quality of space and the design of the street network. 98.5% agreed that Hobsonville Point is a great place to live and indicators of neighbourliness, perceptions of safety and the sense of community are higher than those in wider Auckland. Water use and electricity use are significantly lower than the Auckland average making Hobsonville Point houses around 25% cheaper to run. Areas for improvement identified focus on transport and local facilities related opportunities. Our paper discusses the assessment methodology, the features of

WIT Transactions on Ecology and The Environment, Vol 191, © 2014 WIT Press www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3541 (on-line) doi:10.2495/SC141392

1638 The Sustainable City IX, Vol. 2 Hobsonville Point that have contributed to the positive results and how these results are now being used by the Hobsonville Land Company. Keywords: urban development, sustainability, New Zealand, sustainable neighbourhood, sustainable development, sustainable development framework, assessment tool, Hobsonville Point, Beacon Pathway.

1 Introduction Hobsonville Point is an urban development located on the urban fringe of Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city. The developer, Hobsonville Land Company (HLC) is a government owned company operating under a commercial model. HLC owns the land, controls the master planning, and partners with the private sector for the delivery of infrastructure and houses. When complete, Hobsonville Point will include 3000-4000 new homes, two new schools, neighbourhood shops, new public transport services, parks and community facilities. The vision for the project is to build a strong, vibrant community that sets new benchmarks for quality and accessible urban development with an environmentally responsible focus [1]. At the start of the project in 2007 HLC established a Sustainable Development Framework [2]. While HLC has been reporting against this framework annually, data for many of the long term indicators only became available in 2013 once a community of residents was in place. The Hobsonville Point Sustainability Framework is well aligned with the Neighbourhood Sustainability Framework and associated tools developed by Beacon Pathway Incorporated (Beacon) [3]. The two organisations therefore worked jointly to assess the sustainability of the first stage of development. This paper summarises the findings.

2 Methodology 2.1 The Beacon Neighbourhood sustainability tools These tools were developed as part of a comprehensive neighbourhood sustainability research programme and are the only neighbourhood sustainability assessment tools that have been tested and calibrated against New Zealand data [4]. The Beacon tools consist of two elements [5]: 1. The Observational Tool: This is based on observation and measurement of the physical environment and provides ratings over nine distinct sections: Walking access to basic everyday facilities; access to public transport; efficient use of space and viability of local centres; protection and enhancement of the natural environment; dwelling sustainability; quality of space; diversity and resilience; street network; and innovation and community building. 2. The Resident Self-Report Survey: This tool surveys residents about their experiences, perceptions and behaviours. The findings are then benchmarked

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against the New Zealand Census [6], The Quality of Life Report for Auckland [7] and Beacon’s National Survey of Neighbourhood Experiences and Characteristics [8]. Both tools were applied to the very first stage of development at Hobsonville Point consisting of 78 homes, in June 2013. The observational assessment was undertaken by a Beacon researcher. The survey was delivered to letter boxes and two follow up visits were made to collect surveys. An incentive (a free coffee at the local café) was offered for residents who returned surveys. 2.2 Additional data In addition, the following was obtained from local utility companies: 1. Electricity consumption for the 78 households (anonymous) from the local lines company Vector [9]. This was used to calculate the average consumption per household. 2. Town-water consumption for the 78 households (anonymous) from the local water supply company Watercare [10]. This was used to calculate the average consumption per person per day.

3 Results 3.1 The Observational Tool The results from the Observational Tool are shown in Table 1. 3.2 The Resident Self-Report Survey [5] 3.2.1 Demographics 65 of the 78 households targeted, or 83%, returned a completed survey. Hobsonville Point is a new community and the majority of respondents had moved in between 6 and 18 months ago. The 65 households comprised of 192 people. Households were most commonly comprised of two people (44.6%), followed by two adults with children (35.4%). In comparison to wider Auckland [6] the sample contained fewer single person households and fewer larger households (5 or more people). As well, fewer Hobsonville Point residents were younger than 29 or older than 60, than in Auckland overall. Hobsonville Point is ethnically diverse, but the ethnic mix differs significantly from the wider Auckland population in that Hobsonville Point has a larger percentage of Asian residents, in particular Chinese, Korean and Indian, and fewer Maori and Pacific residents. Interestingly 48 out of the 65 respondents indicated that they would be happy to be contacted for more in depth research, such as focus groups. 3.2.2 Travel behaviour A similar percentage of residents travel to work or education as the driver of a motor vehicle as in the rest of Auckland (61%), but a higher proportion of people travel as a passenger in a car at Hobsonville Point than in Auckland generally [6] (23% vs. 5%). Levels of cycling and public transport were also slightly higher, but the percentage of people walking to work or education was lower. WIT Transactions on Ecology and The Environment, Vol 191, © 2014 WIT Press www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3541 (on-line)

1640 The Sustainable City IX, Vol. 2 Table 1: Section 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Section 1 2 3 4

6 7

8

Results from the Observational Tool [5]. Features

Walking access to basic everyday facilities Access to public transport Efficient use of space and viability of local centres Protection and enhancement of the natural environment Dwelling sustainability Quality of space Diversity and resilience Street network Innovation and community-building Total Pre-requisite Outcomes The available facilities within walking distance meet minimum standards Public transport availability meets minimum standards Efficient use of space and viability of local centres meet minimum standards Requirement to take 20m esplanade reserve under Resource Management Act has been met, where this requirement applies Existing wetlands or bodies of water have not been built on If native vegetation is present, removal of native vegetation has been mitigated by planting an area of the same or larger size with suitable native plants Quality of space meets minimum standards There are no covenants excluding social housing There are no buildings in a 1 in a 100 year flood plain or overland flowpath, or in an area that is likely to flood or be inundated because of the effects of climate change with the next 100 years The neighbourhood appears to have sufficient diversity and resilience All streets and public spaces are open to the walking public 24 hours a day The street network meets minimum standards

Sustainability Rating Very High Medium Medium Very High Very High Very High High Very High Medium Very High

         

   

     

   

Residents were asked to estimate the kilometres driven each month and the results show that Hobsonville Point residents drive further than residents of other neighbourhoods surveyed by Beacon [8].

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3.2.3 Use of local facilities Most people used local facilities regularly. 88% use local shops, the café, farmers’ market at least weekly and 75% use the park and/or playground at least weekly. The visiting of heritage sites and participation in local groups was less common. These figures are significantly higher than the use of urban public spaces nationally, where 70 per cent of respondents said they used local spaces at least monthly [8]. The levels of people involved in local activities, including playgroups and neighbourhood gatherings was similar to wider Auckland. Residents of Hobsonville point spent less of their food budget locally than most urban New Zealanders [8]. In open ended questions residents commented on their enjoyment of local walks and amenities including schools, the park and playground, the local café, the farmers market and ferry service. Respondents also enjoyed being within easy driving access of main centres, places of work and the motorway. Negative comments focused on the limited public transport time tables, lack of a local supermarket, local retail and on the distances they had to travel by car. 3.2.4 Perception of the neighbourhood and the environment All but one respondent (98.5%) agreed that their local area is a great place to live and this compares favourably with the Quality of Life survey [7] in which 77% of Auckland respondents felt the same. Residents were asked how safe their neighbourhood was for pedestrians (during the day and at night), cyclists and children playing unsupervised in the neighbourhoods, and how safe they felt in their own home. The responses compare very favourably with the Quality of Life survey [7], with residents feeling safer across the board than the general Auckland population. 86% agreed that homes and gardens in their neighbourhood were of excellent quality, compared with 72% of urban New Zealanders who rate the condition of other homes and gardens in their neighbourhood and very or fairly good. 63% of residents reported having taken action to improve the environment and 17% reported composting. Residents were asked if they had seen two easily identified native bird species in the last month and 26% reported seeing these. In the open ended questions people commented on the community feel of the neighbourhood, friendly people and their appreciation of living in a quality home within a beautiful wider environment. Negative comments were fewer and tended to focus on the lack of adequate car parking in the streets and construction noise and traffic issues. 3.2.5 Neighbourliness Most residents (84%) reported knowing at least 3-4 of their neighbours and more people reported knowing more than ten neighbours, than fewer than 3. In comparison only 44% of residents reported knowing “a few people” in their neighbourhood in the general Beacon data set from New Zealand neighbourhoods [8]. In Hobsonville, 76% reported knowing some neighbours by name, 83% reported greeting their neighbours and 77% chatted with neighbours. 61% reported being very friendly with their neighbours. These levels are lower than in the

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1642 The Sustainable City IX, Vol. 2 general Beacon data set, where 88% report knowing neighbours by name and 94% report greeting or chatting. 42% reported visiting neighbours and just over half asked neighbours for small favours. Only two residents reported hostile relationships with their neighbours. 85% agreed that a sense of community in their neighbourhood was important to them, compared to 70% in the Quality of Life survey for Auckland. 66% considered that their neighbourhood had a strong sense of community, compared to 52% in the Quality of Life survey [7]. 3.2.6 Resident’s homes 95% of respondents agreed that their homes were warm and comfortable. 88% of respondents reported no intention of moving, compared to 62% in the general beacon dataset [8], and most of those who did plan to move planned to move within the neighbourhood. 3.3 Water and electricity consumption Average annual household electricity consumption is 5743 kWh, 28% lower than the Auckland average and 12% below the target set in the Sustainable Development Framework. Average town supply water consumption is 110L/person/day, 30% lower than the Auckland average, but 10% higher than the target of 100L.

4 Discussion Beacon concludes that “in conjunction with the wider masterplan, Hobsonville Point neighbourhoods are setting a high standard of sustainability in both the physical and social environments.”[5] This conclusion is based on the positive results from the two Beacon tools applied to the first stage of Hobsonville Point. The Beacon report identifies areas of strength and areas of weakness. The survey covered the very first stage of development, consisting of the first 78 homes out of 3000-4000 planned for the development. It is noted that the areas of weakness identified are largely covered by the wider masterplan, which will deliver additional local facilities, including early childhood education, a secondary school, local shops and a supermarket nearby. 4.1 Areas of strength The observational assessment shows that the physical environment meets a high standard of sustainability by providing a walkable environment and local facilities to walk to; concentrating areas of imperviousness; providing low impact stormwater management; extensive planting and protection of habitat; high standards of dwelling level water and energy efficiency; rainwater reuse; good passive surveillance of the public realm; high quality streetscapes and parks; opportunities for casual interaction; good connectivity and slower streets.

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The resident survey and data gathered from the utility companies confirms that resident’s experiences and behaviour are consistent with the high level of sustainability in the built environment. Residents report feeling connected and safe living in their neighbourhood and all but one resident agreed that Hobsonville point is a great place to live. The use of local facilities is high and residents specifically like the quality of parks and streetscapes. Significantly fewer report a desire to move from the area than is usual in Auckland and especially in higher density neighbourhoods [5]. More people felt that there is a strong sense of community then in Auckland generally. Interestingly residents reported knowing more neighbours than is usual in New Zealand, but the depth of interaction appeared slightly lower. This may be due to the age of the community with resident not yet having known neighbours long enough to develop closer relationships. Residents show higher levels of car sharing than is usual in Auckland. It is possible that this partly due to fewer carparking spaces being available encouraging households to have fewer cars. This may signal that residents may respond well to more formalised car sharing programmes. The majority of residents report having taken action to improve the environment and water and energy use is significantly lower than in Auckland generally. Homes are designed and built to be thermally efficient, have solar or heat pump hot water systems and rainwater re-use tanks and it is pleasing to see that these measures have tangible benefits. 4.2 Areas for improvement The observational assessment identifies that public transport frequencies and routes are sub-optimal, though all residents live within easy walking distance of a local service. Additional local services, including local shops and employment opportunities are also desirable and future stages should seek to concentrate residential densities near these. Innovation in the type of community services available is also identified as an area of improvement as the development matures. Again the results of the resident survey are largely consistent with the assessment of the physical environment in that residents report driving longer distances than in urban New Zealand neighbourhood more generally and that less of household’s food budget is spent locally. The initial areas of development do not include employment and the development of neighbouring commercial and employment areas was delayed by the global financial crisis. Resident travel behaviour is therefore not surprising. It is however interesting that the percentage of people driving to work or education is similar to wider Auckland even though there is a lack of local employment and public transport frequencies are not optimal. This may signal that good public transport patronage could be achieved with improvements to services. The masterplan for Hobsonville Point includes local employment areas and a supermarket/village centre development is planned on an adjacent site. With these additional local facilities the distance driven by residents should reduce over time.

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1644 The Sustainable City IX, Vol. 2 4.3 Performance against the Sustainable Development Framework The research described in this paper has contributed to the measurement of performance indicators for the project. Table 2 sets out the indicators, targets and actual performance for those elements for which data has been collected. While there are several indicators where targets are not yet met, the overall results are encouraging and suggest that Hobsonville Point is on target to achieving its ambitious vision. 4.4 Success factors The Hobsonville Point project has benefitted from a consistent vision from the outset. This has translated into a holistic approach to sustainability and placemaking. Local amenities, including a significant park and playground, a café and a farmers market were established early on in the project to set the tone and to build confidence in the project. Streets are narrow, include low impact stormwater elements, are well connected and the standard of landscaping is high, making walking and cycling both safe and pleasant. A bus service was established before the first house was built and this was followed soon after by a ferry service. A new primary school and secondary school were built in the early stages of development and two heritage buildings are being repurposed as community facilities. Houses are built to exceed the local codes in terms of energy and water efficiency. These built environment aspects are complemented by a community activation and placemaking programme that includes community planting days, neighbourhood BBQs, events and a community fund that residents can access for community activities. In addition HLC partners with a local community organisation which has set up an on-site plant nursery, where locals can become involved in propagating native plants from local seed and in planting activities. 4.5 Commercial benefits HLC is clear about the commercial benefits its approach and its strong sustainability performance continue to have on its bottom line. The early delivery of amenities provided confidence in the project that allowed it to accelerate significantly following the global recession. At that time, builder partners and home buyers alike were looking for tangible evidence rather than promises in the masterplan and the early delivery of key amenities delivered this. Market research shows that it is the strength of the community and the quality of local amenities that buyers are won over by, much more so than the quality of the houses. The marketing for the project focuses on the place and community and is focused on getting people to come to the site to have a look. The focus on community and the early delivery of amenity has allowed HLC to continue to innovate in the delivery of smaller more affordable homes that rely on the quality of the neighbourhood. A recent project of small homes on small lots has been well received because buyers can trade private space for well-designed and usable public space.

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Workers who travel to work by driving themselves. Social % of people that report positive contact with their neighbours, such as a visit, or asking each other for a small favour. % of people who report negative contact with their neighbours, where there is outright tension. % of people who report that they have used a local park or community facility in the last month.

Average annual household grid energy (reticulated gas and electricity) consumption. Average residential town supply water consumption per person per day. Economic % of residents state that they have used a local shop, restaurant, café or service in the last week. 76% 70% 3% 86%

80% or more 10% or less 70% or more

88%

40% or less

80%

110 litres

5743kW/h

On track

10% native vegetation 6500kW/h or less 100 litres or less

2013 Result

2026 Target

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Compares to 14% in Waitakere City in 2006 (Quality of Life Survey). 75% reported using parks or the playground at least weekly.

Compares to 63% in Waitakere City in 2006 (Quality of Life Survey).

Resident survey specifically asked about the use of local shops, cafés and the farmers market. Compares with 77% in Waitakere in the 2006 Census.

Significant weed management undertaken and 10,000 native plants grown on site from local seed and planted during this year. 28% lower than the Auckland average of 8,000kW/h and 12% below our target. 30% lower than Auckland average, but 10% above target.

Comment

Performance against long term sustainability indicators (2013).

Long term indicators Environmental A continuous green corridor with native vegetation covering at least 10% of the site is retained/established.

Table 2:

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Long term indicators Social % of people that feel that their neighbourhood is a safe place for unsupervised children. % of people who feel safe in their neighbourhood after dark. % of residents who rate the quality of public space as good/very good. % of school children who bike/walk or catch public transport to school. % of people who feel that the Hobsonville Point site is very/reasonably safe for pedestrians. % of cyclists who feel that cycling within the Hobsonville Point site is very/reasonably safe. Cultural % of residents that feel a sense of community in the local neighbourhood. % of residents who have taken action during the past year to improve the natural environment. % of residents who report seeing tui and fantails in their garden or neighbourhood during the last week.

2013 Result 87% 83% 85% 43% 95% 93% 66% 63% 26.2%

80% or more 85% or more 85% or more 60% or more 95% or more 95% or more 75% or more 5% or more Increases over time

Continued.

2026 Target

Table 2:

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Measured for the first time this year.

Compares to 52% in Auckland in 2013 (Quality of Life Survey). Self-reported through the resident survey.

Note that local secondary school will open next year. Compares to 91% in Auckland in 2013 (Quality of Life Survey). The question was not limited to cyclists in the survey.

Compares to 70% in Auckland in 2013 (Quality of Life Survey). Compares to 56% in Auckland in 2013 (Quality of Life Survey).

Comment

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Hobsonville Point is now the largest residential project in New Zealand in terms of the volume of homes sold each year and demand continues to outstrip supply, with buyers commonly purchasing houses before construction starts.

5 Conclusion Undertaking an independent assessment of the sustainability of its first development stage has allowed HLC to measure many of its long term sustainability indicators for the first time. From this it is clear that Hobsonville Point is on track to achieving its ambitious vision and targets. It will be important to follow up with future assessments to test if the first residents surveyed in this study are representative of future residents. The involvement of Beacon has brought a fresh pair of eyes to the project and helped identify areas for focus going forward. While considerable effort had, for example, been put into working with the local public transport provider at the beginning of the project the assessment has made it clear that a renewed effort in this area is needed. The assessment also highlighted the importance of neighbourhood shops and local employment. Both are part of the masterplan, but it was useful to have their importance highlighted, providing further impetus to keep pursuing these more challenging aspects of the project. HLC is a small team and the project is complex. Perhaps the most significant benefit of the assessment has therefore been to clarify areas were effort should be concentrated. For Beacon the project has been useful in further refining the assessment tools and in showcasing how development projects can benefit from robust assessment. Several changes were made following the application of the tools to Hobsonville. Most of these were relatively minor refinements to ensure the reliability, relevance and usefulness of the tools. More significantly, the achievements of Hobsonville made it clear that high standards of sustainability are possible in the New Zealand context. This prompted a review of the criteria for the categories of the Observational Tool so that a higher standard of sustainability is now required to meet the standards for a rating of medium, high and very high.

References [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Hobsonville Land Company. 2013 Sustainability Report, 2013, http://www.hobsonvillepoint.co.nz/downloads/HLC-2013-SustainabilityReport.pdf Hobsonville Land Company. Sustainable Development Framework, 2007 Beacon Pathway Incorporated. http://www.beaconpathway.co.nz /neighbourhoods/article/the_neighbourhood_sustainability_framework Beacon Pathway Incorporated. http://www.beaconpathway.co.nz /neighbourhoods/article/our_research_defining_and_measuring_sustainabl e_neighbourhoods Bijoux, D. Applying the Neighbourhood Sustainability Tools to Hobsonville Point: A report to the Hobsonville Land Company. Report NH2013/1 for Beacon Pathway Inc, 2013 WIT Transactions on Ecology and The Environment, Vol 191, © 2014 WIT Press www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3541 (on-line)

1648 The Sustainable City IX, Vol. 2 [6]

Statistics New Zealand. Quickstats About Auckland Region. http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2006CensusHomePage/QuickStats/About APlace/SnapShot.aspx?id=1000002 , 2007 [7] AC Neilson. Quality of life 2012, Auckland. http://www.qualityoflifeproject.govt.nz/pdfs/2012/Quality_of_Life_2012_ Auckland.pdf , 2013 [8] Beacon Pathway (unpublished). Neighbourhood Survey data [9] Vector Limited, Personal Communication, 2013 [10] Watercare Limited, Personal Communication, 2013

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