)
)
)
)
)
A new approach to street design in Tauranga - street design tool
Rapid growth in Tauranga has seen increased traffic congestion and negative health outcomes, largely driven by high private vehicle use. Traditional street designs prioritised cars, often at the expense of walking, cycling, and public transport.
To address this, Tauranga City Council set out to embed best-practice principles into the design of streets in new developments—encouraging active travel, boosting public transport use, and fostering more connected communities. They sought a practical, interactive tool to help apply these principles consistently.
Harrison Grierson, in partnership with Mott MacDonald, developed a new Street Design Guide for the council. The guide introduced a fresh approach based on the Link and Place framework, which balances movement and placemaking. From these principles, an online Street Design Tool was created to support developers, council engineers, and planners in designing streetscapes that reflect best practice and local context.
The project also involved updating transport provisions within Tauranga City Council’s Infrastructure Development Code (IDC), aligning them with the new design principles. This process included extensive stakeholder engagement through workshops with utility providers, council staff, developers, and consultants.
Delivered in two phases—first the Design Guide, then the Infrastructure Standards—the project initially produced an Excel-based tool offering design guidance based on traffic environment and land use. This was later transformed into a fully interactive online application, which is now live and actively used.
Key achievements
In July 2021, Tauranga City Council formally adopted the Street Design Guide, the online Street Design Tool, and the accompanying Street Design Diagrams. These resources are now mandatory for designing new streets in Tauranga and represent a major milestone in elevating the quality and consistency of the city’s urban street environment.
A key factor in the success of this initiative was the high level of stakeholder engagement. The collaborative development process ensured that a wide range of voices—including council staff, developers, utility providers, and consultants—were actively involved in shaping the guiding principles, the design tool, and the detailed diagrams. This inclusive approach helped build consensus and fostered a shared commitment to better street design outcomes.
Innovations
HG’s innovative digital Street Design Tool is reshaping how urban designers, developers, landowners, transport engineers, council staff, and utility providers approach street design. By integrating real-time spatial data, the tool identifies the unique characteristics of a project area—such as land-use context, travel demand, and relevant policy frameworks—providing a tailored foundation for design.
Whether planning a new street in a greenfield development or upgrading an existing urban corridor, the Toolkit guides users through selecting appropriate design elements. These range from carriageway specifications and design speeds to cycleway layouts, stormwater infrastructure, public transport assets, underground utilities, and even finer details like street furniture, public art, and naming conventions.
A built-in reporting feature evaluates the suitability of proposed designs and generates documentation to support Resource Consent applications. This comprehensive, end-to-end process is data-driven and grounded in best-practice research, encouraging designers to explore a wide spectrum of layout possibilities and design components.
Foundational principles behind the street design toolkit
The Street Design Toolkit is grounded in a set of core principles developed through ongoing collaboration with mana whenua and a broad range of community stakeholders. These principles reflect a commitment to inclusive design, ensuring accessibility for people of all ages and abilities.
At the heart of the approach is the integration of cultural and natural geography into the street design process. Drawing on the Tauranga Moana Design Principles and Te Aranga Design Principles, the toolkit embeds cultural identity and environmental responsiveness into every stage of planning. This is reflected in requirements for native vegetation, stormwater management, and cultural expression—such as street naming, wayfinding elements, and public artworks.
Balancing technology with local expertise
Through the development process, we discovered that technology can simplify even the most complex frameworks, making them accessible and usable for a diverse range of stakeholders. However, we also recognised that a one-size-fits-all approach—such as pre-configured design templates—would not suit the varied and specific contexts of different locations.
This insight highlighted the importance of maintaining flexibility within the toolkit. By allowing users to apply their own expertise, local knowledge, and collaborative input, the tool supports the creation of street designs that are context-sensitive and well-balanced. It empowers communities and professionals to shape outcomes that reflect the unique needs and character of each place.