Quality

Breadth and Depth of Skills

Published Articles

Our work and techniques are regularly featured in professional magazines and journals.  Below are several recent articles:

Featuring our unique approach to delivering sustainable urbanism:

• ‘Need-To-Have trumps Nice-To-Have‘  (Christchurch earthquake strategy as published in Planning Quarterly)  PDF (590KB)
• ‘Team approach to urban design’  (As published in Urban magazine)  PDF (945KB)
• ‘Strengthening social dimensions in urban design’  (As published in Urban magazine)  PDF (856KB)

Kobus Mentz discusses the importance of ongoing training to urban design professionals:

Urbanismplus staff share their experiences of the University of Auckland’s Master of Urban Design programme:

• ‘Evaluating post-graduate training in urban design’ (Urban Magazine) PDF (705KB)
• ‘Graduate perspectives’ (Urban Magazine) PDF (1.9MB)

Evidence based commentary on the potential of centres-based residential intensification

• Residential Growth Planning and the Tyranny of Distance (Complete professional paper) PDF (444KB)
• Residential Growth Planning and the Tyranny of Distance (As published in Urban magazine) PDF (747KB)

Ian Munro discusses transport planning and implications on urban form:

• Liveable Arterials in Auckland City: Integrating Transport Model Outputs with Other Objectives (Urban Magazine) PDF (1.39MB)
• Looking Forwards… but Thinking Backwards (Urban Magazine) PDF (994KB)

Guidance

We have initiated, developed and contributed to technical guidance for urban planning and design throughout New Zealand.  Several examples are featured below:

• Good Solutions Guide for Medium Density Housing PDF (1.93MB)

This guide has been designed to assist developers, designers, architects, planners and builders plan, design and build better quality medium density housing developments. It looks at ways to improve and enhance the initial site design, discusses the advantages and disadvantages of various house types, and suggests ways of improving the design of specific building elements.  The guide also suggests a variety of ways to improve the overall visual character of this type of development

• People+Places+Spaces PDF (2.22MB)

The purpose of this guide is to give all people interested in more liveable and prosperous urban areas – professionals, councillors, business people and the wider community – a taste of what urban design is, and how to achieve better urban design. Urban design aims to make our towns and cities more economically prosperous, socially inclusive and environmentally friendly, while also making them look and work better for people.

• Kapiti Coast Best Practice Residential Subdivision Guideline PDF (4.59MB)

The Kapiti Coast District Council engaged Urbanismplus to help it advance best practice guidance to its community for Medium Density Housing, Residential Subdivision, and Streetscape Strategy and Design. The Residential Subdivision guideline was the recipient of the RMLA Documentation Award in 2007.

Master Class

Kobus Mentz and the Urbanismplus team regularly contribute to and lead ‘master classes’ and workshops for built environment professionals and local government officers and Councillors.  Featured here is the record of a master class delivered by internationally recognised urban planner Larry Beasley, with support from Kobus Mentz of Urbanismplus and Christine Ralph of Beca.

• Larry Beasley: Implementation Strategies to Achieve Sustainable and Liveable Development in New Zealand’s Large and Small Communities (2010) PDF (810KB)

2011 Property Council of Australia Innovation and Excellence Awards national award for Best Master Planned Community: University Hill

2011 Marlborough District Council ‘Growing Marlborough’ A unique growth strategy

2010 University Hill Master Plan, Whittlesea

2009 Auckland City Council and Urbanismplus – Auckland City Liveable Arterials Plan

2008 Documentation Award for work based on the urban design concept, masterplan and strategy produced by urbanism+

2008 Greater Christchurch Urban Development Strategy – Spatial Planning

2007 Kapiti Coast District Council – Best Practice Subdivision Guide

2006 Kobus Mentz – Life Time Urban Design services to the Planning Profession

2006 Ministry for the Environment  – Urban Design Continuing Professional Development Programme

2003 Awarded for People Places Spaces: A design guideline for urban New Zealand. Authored by Kobus Mentz and David Mead for the Ministry for the Environment