World leading urban placemaking expert impressed by Eke Panuku vision

Cities around the world are taking inspiration from Salvador’s ‘Superblock’ concept, which is about creating shared, mixed-use public spaces to transform city life. He recommends taking street space traditionally devoted solely to motor vehicles and opening it up for multiple uses such as walking, cycling, green spaces, and markets by managing vehicle access.

Eke Panuku, the council’s urban regeneration arm, and in their role as lead agency for the city centre transformation, took the opportunity to show Salvador the ambitions for the city centre.

Daniel Chapman, City Centre Design Integration Lead for Eke Panuku, says: “Salvador was excited by the redevelopment plans for the Downtown West area. He thought reprioritising it from a space dominated by the (lower Hobson) flyover to a place where people can better connect with the waterfront was a ‘no-brainer’.”

Bridget Law, Principal Landscape Architect, Public Realm at Eke Panuku, then took Salvador to Wynyard Quarter where they reviewed plans for the Te Ara Tukutuku project on the Wynyard Point headland, the former Tank Farm. Previously not accessible by the public, the plan to reconnect people to the waterfront will be one of the most important regeneration projects in the city over the next 10-20 years.