1. FINDING THE ‘UNITING SPARK OF OUR EMERGING CITY’ © TIM GREGORY AND CHLOE WARETINI 2011
‘remarkable futures don’t happen. they are made.’
From our spectacular natural environment to our diverse population – Auckland is bursting with potential. Potential that
has not been realised due to our fragmented past. With the dawn of the Super City there is the opportunity to act with
leadership and create a remarkable future for Auckland.
However the success of Auckland is inseparable from the behaviour of its people. We may now be one city, but that change
has yet to be made in the hearts and minds of Aucklanders.
‘great cities are built on strong communities.’
While we all love our place in the Pacific, this has not been expressed as an outward passion for Auckland. Rather it is seen
through the many actions we take in our local communities. The abundant school fairs, community planting days and local
festivals provide the pulse of Auckland’s beating heart.
Without doubt the love and pride is there – we just need something to connect it to a bigger idea of Auckland we all share.
‘we must be an eco city.’
‘this is our opportunity to unite.’
The passion for the stunning natural environment we live in is something all Aucklanders “a good polity is one
share. It is impossible not to be inspired by the awesome Waitakere Ranges, the rugged
West Coast and the pohutukawa-strewn beaches of the East. It is the reason we move
where all citizens believe
home from London. It is a lifestyle we all cherish and have a stake in. they are bound together
A grassroots movement towards preserving our environment is growing strong. All
in a common project”
around Auckland circles of cooperative action exist. An opportunity exists to connect
these circles and create a common project in which all Aucklanders can play a part. A - Richard Sennett
project that connects local actions to the bigger picture. A project that unites us as the The Culture of New Capitalism
Eco City - the world’s most beautiful and liveable city.
The question is how to make the aspiration of the Eco City a reality...
In this document, we propose a citizen-engaging strategic combination
of aspiration, inspiration and action to make this happen. THE PROJECTS | AUCKLAND
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collaborative projects | concept- brand- execution

2. ONE YEAR. ONE PROJECT TO UNITE US ALL. © TIM GREGORY AND CHLOE WARETINI 2011
our goal is to create communities of action
so the eco city will take care of itself
here’s how we plan to do it:
1. mapping our regional aspiration
We will create a map that:
• highlights Auckland’s natural riches and our aspirations for protecting them and getting us to ‘see it’
helping them thrive
• is a living document of Auckland’s Eco City credentials - identifying the circles of
cooperation that are building the Eco City at a grass roots level
• is a visual representation of the common project that all Aucklanders contribute to
the success of – importantly providing an invitation to act
2. creating community inspiration
We will create community places that:
• transform a meaningful and achievable number of disused Council reserve sites getting us to ‘feel it’
into vibrant engaging spaces that are designed and run by the people of the place –
encouraging involvement by giving a sense of empowerment, ownership and pride
• link to the bigger vision of the Auckland Eco City through the incorporation of
the map in mural form, showing the ‘big picture’ and the importance of the local
geography to it, and zoning in on local treasures and sources of pride
• are places of learning about your local environment, engaging in activities that
contribute to the Eco City vision, and finding out about action you can take all over
your community
• use the social innovation of urban agriculture as a practical and relevant
engagement tool with the development of community gardens as a central activity
at the spaces
3. initiating local action
We will create a day of action where:
• the map of the Eco City will be launched and 1.4million Aucklanders will be invited getting us to ‘do it’
to take local action towards making the Eco City . This will signal a new era of a
united and passionate Auckland - made up of engaged and diverse communities
taking action together
• the first project of the Eco City - Room to Grow - will be launched in the community
spaces we have created with live music, workshops, demonstrations, planting,
harvesting and enjoying fresh produce and abundant invitations to engage
• identified on the map will be many more potential sites for community gardens -
using Auckland’s sprawl to the best advantage.
THE PROJECTS | AUCKLAND
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collaborative projects | concept- brand- execution

3. © TIM GREGORY AND CHLOE WARETINI 2011
the regional aspiration ‘see it’
getting us to
Auckland’s challenge in becoming an Eco City lies in strengthening the relationship “The vision will become
between its people and the environment. As inhabitants of a busy metropolis, we can
the reality only if people
tend to become disconnected from the natural environment around us.
from Favona to Freemans
In our daily lives we can often miss the signposts that give us a sense of place – we Bay, Muriwai to Milford,
can forget how amazing it is to live it Tamaki Makaurau – a thin isthmus between two from Waiwera to Western
harbours on a Pacific island – an outpost at the edge of the world.
Springs, and from
A map that captures the positive relationship between people and the environment, Mellons Bay to Massey
across the entirety of Auckland, would serve as a reminder of this stunning natural believe this is THEIR
beauty, connect us to the bigger picture and open our eyes to the wonder that exists in Auckland - that they have
our backyard.
a real part in this city
A map that tells the story of our environment and our aspirations for it and they can make a real
We have been gifted three beautiful harbours, islands, beaches and forests. Each of difference”
these treasures would be featured in the map, with a description of its value and our
aspirations for protecting them and helping them thrive. Aspirations for our harbours - Mayor Len Brown
such as being able to swim in clean, safe water every day of the year. Aspirations for Inauguration Speech
the Waitakere Ranges like being world renowned as a pristine sub-tropical rainforest.
Aspirations for our naturally fertile soil to be used once again to provide fresh food for
our local communities.
A map that reveals clusters of local action
It will identify the circles of cooperation that are building the Eco City at a grass roots
level. These would range from long established initiatives like Project Twin Streams
to projects for native bush regeneration, coastal clean-up schemes and fledgling
community gardens. The key criteria would be environmental action that engages the
community.
A map that is an invitation to act
This map won’t be a static thing to put on your wall and no longer notice. It will be
a living document of Auckland’s credentials as an Eco City – interactive, engaging,
proactive – communicating opportunities to get involved in environmental action all
over Auckland.
We see the map becoming an ubiquitous and iconic brand, residing in schools, dairies,
supermarkets, libraries, online: in your community.
THE PROJECTS | AUCKLAND
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collaborative projects | concept- brand- execution

4. © TIM GREGORY AND CHLOE WARETINI 2011
the community inspiration ‘feel it’
getting us to
To make the Eco City, we need to back up the aspiration with genuine impetus to get the ‘A city of proud
movement started. People need to feel empowered and inspired to want to act. The best
communities, secure
way to do this is to create a space they can own – a place that is truly theirs where they
can come for inspiration, connection and exchange. in their local identities
and in their place as
Creating places for community inspiration part of a metropolitan
We propose a place-making initiative, nominating sites in a number of localities to
become community spaces. Designed and run by community for community, these
powerhouse’
places will be tangible examples of the relationship between local people and place.
Bridging the gap between the map and Auckland’s communities
Local places of regional significance, these places will bring to life the ethos and intent of
the map in the real world. They will be the connection between the map and the person
holding it, the big picture and the local community, the big aspiration and the small
action.
This connection will be made through the presence of the map in mural form - a
symbolic tie back to the wider movement – the common project of the Auckland Eco
City. It will show that we are all in this future together and all vital to the success of it. It
will map the significance of this local place and the people who live there, and give them
something to be proud to be a part of.
Places to come and get involved
Each place will have its own identity – representing the culture, creativity and innovation
of the community – but still be recognisable as part of the Auckland Eco City. They will
be welcoming places full of local opportunities and invitations to act. They will be places
of learning, connecting people back to the natural environment and growing new skills
and knowledge through doing. They will be places where, after a hard days work, you
can kick back with a cup of tea or food and listen to live local music or just chat with
others in the space.
THE PROJECTS | AUCKLAND
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collaborative projects | concept- brand- execution

5. © TIM GREGORY AND CHLOE WARETINI 2011
the local action it’
getting us to ‘do
It is going to take a strong signal of change and a breakthrough performance to weave “It’s true you can’t live
the new Auckland Eco City story into our culture. However this signal cannot come in the here by chance, you have
form of traditional communications.
to do and be, not simply
We all know actions speak louder than words. We learn by doing - doing changes how watch or even describe.
we think about things. To be an Eco City we must not just say it but ACT it. The Eco City
must start with Council taking the initiative – inspiring grass roots participation and
This is the city of action,
empowering the citizens of Auckland to ‘own it’ and ‘do it’. the world headquarters
An inclusive, engaging and involving event that marks the dawn of a new era, and invites
of the verb”
people to take action towards achieving the vision of the Eco City, will be the catalyst - Lauris Edmond
needed.
Sowing the seeds of change with the first Eco City project: ‘Room to Grow’ ‘Flowers grow in
On a day in December, the Auckland Eco City will open for action. On this day, the map flower gardens,
will be launched and 1.4 million Aucklanders will be invited to take action in their local
Vegetables grow in
communities toward building the Eco City and engaging in the first Eco City project:
Room to Grow.
vegetable gardens,
Room to Grow – will bring the accelerating international movement of urban Community grows in
agriculture as a means of growing community. It is a proven social innovation, community gardens’
recognised as an activity thats value is easily understood and that connects people
from diverse backgrounds, and is therefore the ideal initiative to kick off the Eco City.
Ultimately tied to action (developing knowledge and skills through doing together)
and a sense of place, Room to Grow is about both people and the environment, the
ingredients of the Eco City.
Two immediate strands of action will be highlighted on the map as invitations to act
in Room to Grow:
1. The community spaces we’ve created will be the launching pads for Room to Grow.
The wider communities around these places will be invited to get involved in the
opening of their gardens, which will come alive with workshops, demonstrations,
planting, harvesting and eating fresh produce and live music in a festival-like
atmosphere.
2. To bring this opportunity to everyone in Auckland, not just those who live near
these new community places, the map will be populated with abundant invitations
to act – identifying disused Council reserve sites that have the potential to be
community gardens - using Auckland’s sprawl to the best advantage.
THE PROJECTS | AUCKLAND
.
collaborative projects | concept- brand- execution