Ecological Thinking in Action
TE ARA I WHITI (LIGHT PATH)
Te Ara I Whiti (Nelson Street Cycleway) or better known as the lightpath is one of the most anticipated cycling infrastructure. (NZTA, 2015) It was “one of the ten projects nominated internationally” and winning the top prize in the World Architecture Festival in Berlin back in 2016. (Martin, 2016) But what is Te Ara I Whiti? According to the New Zealand Transport Agency, it is “the newly revamped and magenta-coloured Nelson off-ramp, which includes a string of interactive lights along one side.” (NZTA, 2015) Prior to visiting the path, we were told that it was designed by an American who thought New Zealand followed right-hand drive system and mistakenly built this motorway off-ramp on the wrong side. Therefore, instead of putting this project to waste, they decided to re-purpose it to a cycleway. The purpose of the light path was to encourage more people to cycle around the city and minimize the number of cars and carbon emissions. According to New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) they aim to have “1400 cyclists a day by 2026.” (Stuff, 2015) However, we noticed that there were not a lot of cyclists that used the path the day we visited – we only came across approximately 5-7 cyclists. In saying this, there may be several factors that affect the number of cyclists on that day such as time of day, weather and traffic.
Upon visiting the pink path, we noticed a few questionable aspects regarding its surroundings, design and if whether its sole purpose has been met. Just like every piece of infrastructure, there will always be pros and cons. Walking through the light path, I can’t help but notice the distinct contrast between the brightly coloured path as oppose to the mediocrity surrounding it. It almost seemed like it did not belong in that area. However, according to The Designers Institute, Te Ara I Whiti is “bold and disruptive” and “is an exceptional response to a gritty landscape.” (TDI, n.d.) Aesthetic is a huge part of design and I believe that in a designer’s point of view, strong contrast is necessary to create an effective urban design. This may also be one of the strategies to get more cyclists – cycle paths are usually more aesthetically pleasing compared to main road traffic. In Auckland’s cycle routes, it goes around parks and more attractive places around the city which can give cyclists better experience. Another thing I noticed was the lack of greenery; however, this point can be argued – evaluating the location and placement of this cycleway, it is difficult to put greeneries anywhere within the path and along the sides as it is right next to the motorway. It is also on an incline therefore, adding plants and trees can be a struggle.
Nowadays, I noticed nature is often built around infrastructure – plants are often groomed to fit a certain area. Usually, parks and greeneries are surrounded by cars which emit a lot of hydrocarbons different oxides that can harm plants’ growth and contribute further to air pollution. One of Te Ara I Whiti’s aims is to minimize the amount of car usage around the city which can lead to cleaner air. However, with intensive growth of cities and population, more and more people rely on cars to get around. How can we change this? One of the main reasons why majority of people don’t cycle around the city is because bike paths are often further away than where they needed to be. At the moment, Auckland Transport is trying to develop bike lanes in and around town that connects to other bike lanes like Te Ara I Whiti – this offers safer, better experience for cyclists. Hopefully through this, it would encourage more people to bike around the city.
According to Tim Morton’s The Ecological Thought (2010), everything may be associated with each other however, this doesn’t mean the network itself is stable. Being connected to the same frame can also mean weak connectivity. But how does weak connection relate back to the light path? This weak ‘system’ can be interpreted literally in this case. This could mean our weak connection with nature – the fact that majority of us do not give enough attention to the issues that really matter like global warming or climate change. We often forget that we are a part of this ecosystem and once it falls apart, we fall with it too. This connection can also imply “separateness and difference.” (Morton, 2010) In order for a system to work effectively, everyone must be involved and work together.
(photos of lightpath, March 2018, taken by Madeline Dumagan)
Upon reading Positive Development by Janis Birkeland (2008), it made me realise how much we misunderstand the concept of sustainability and how our current systems don’t contribute to ongoing ecological crises. As the condition of the environment deteriorates by the minute, more and more people and organisations are coming together to combat this. One of these organisations is For The Love of Bees. It is a non-profit organisation that helps protect bees and pollinators by effectively promoting spray-free regenerative parks.
We visited Griffiths Garden which is located at Wellesley Street West where For The Love of Bees is situated.
Despite being in the middle of the city and next to a very busy road, the space emitted a different ambience. Because Griffiths Garden was on an inclined road, the space was sectioned into three; however, it all worked together to create a cohesive open garden space. Sarah Smuts-Kennedy explained how using organic seed help maintain good soil full of microbes which promotes healthy plant growth – this made me realise how much I needed to learn and understand.
For The Love of Bees’ mission is to “give citizens the right knowledge and skills to collectively create a city that is safe for bees, pollinators and entire ecosystem.” (For The Love of Bees, n.d.) Everything depends on one another; just like how we need oxygen from plants and how plants need carbon dioxide from us. We all work together to form an ecosystem. As cities continue to overcrowd and there’s less and less green spaces surrounding us, it made me question whether our current system actually promote ‘good’ sustainability. After visiting For the Love of Bees, we visited one of the hives in Myers Park and we discussed how parks are meant to be ‘green spaces’ yet all parks seemed to be groomed which is unnatural – it’s interesting to see how different we perceive nature; how things around us aren’t natural anymore. Once again, it just shows how much we need to learn and the fact that even people in the government and council don’t know how nature properly work is another issue on its own. But could it be that the real problem is within each individual, personal choices? Birkeland (2008) talks about how people don’t have the choice especially when they are brought up and “trapped within non-sustainable environment(s).” (pg. 5, 2008) We have restricted choices – we can’t control ongoing infrastructure construction and market demand; however, I believe that if people have the correct knowledge about these ongoing problems, it’ll be easier to implement change(s). Birkeland (2008) mentions different examples of substitutions and/or modifications that can help improve our environment, mainly focusing on “people-oriented solutions” (pg. 12, 2008) and development of more sustainable cities and buildings.
(photo of garden and guest speaker, Sarah Smuts-Kennedy, 16/03/18, taken by Madeline Dumagan)
Kelmarna Gardens is an urban farm in Auckland that is “dedicated to building a healthy community and environment and promoting sustainable living.” (Kelmarna Gardens, n.d.) It is located around the Ponsonby area which is about a twenty-minute bus ride from the central business district. Its purpose is to have gardens that create a specific role and dynamic within the community. It is supported by the local board (Waitemata Local Board), small businesses and surrounding households. The land where Kelmara gardens is established is owned by the city council. It was originally used as a therapeutic garden where people with mental issues practice gardening and looking after plants. During 2015, it was run by trust of local people; it was and still currently being used as therapeutic garden and is also now in collaboration with schools to educate young minds about gardening – importance of growing our own food.
As cities continue to grow and develop, we must figure out a way to be able to continually grow sustainable food. One way is through urban farming. According to Ibrahim Game and Richaela Primus, urban agriculture is “growing, processing, and distribution of food and other products through plant cultivation and raising livestock in and around cities for feeding local populations.” (Game & Primus, 2015) What’s good about this garden is that because it uses a part of Hukanui reserve, it is a public land, and everyone is invited to contribute within it – this creates a good dynamic and relationship between the land and community around it; even so between the people who volunteer there. It is a place where people of different backgrounds come together.
People behind Kelmarna gardens have future plans to get more people involved through composting. I’m sure that majority of us are aware that there won’t be enough space for houses in the near future and more people will live in apartments and townhouses. Kelmarna gardens proposes to have a small trike going around the neighbourhood and small businesses to collect food scraps for their compost bins; this helps lessen the amount of food scraps going to landfills and contributing to greenhouse gases and once again, it helps build stronger community relationship. How does Kelmarna gardens support their operations?
Kelmarna gardens uses multiple sources to keep their operations going; from grants, donations, sales from their shop, events, education workshops on weekends and their latest addition, selling their organic goods at the Grey Lynn farmers’ market on Sundays.
Urban agriculture is one of the best solutions we have right now as it doesn’t just help with environmental issues, but it also helps build stronger community through educating people which I believe is one of the most important components when implementing change. Urban farming is significantly better as oppose to rural agriculture because it doesn’t deprive the land as well. (Game & Primus, 2015) As mentioned before, as there’s less land for industrial agriculture, urban farming can change this as it can include smaller or larger areas in and around cities. Overall, it was interesting learning about urban farming and how cooperation from the community can potentially create and radiate large impact in the environment. In order to combat environmental issues, we first have to figure out how to cohesively work together as a community and I believe that Kelmarna gardens set a wonderful example to us all.
(Kelmarna Gardens, 13/03/18, photos taken by Madeline Dumagan)
(all reference links are attached on citation within the text)
