The heart of Manchester, which has undergone significant urban renewal.
The heart of Manchester, which has undergone significant urban renewal.
An Auckland Council property boss is drawing inspiration from what would seem to be an unlikely source - the northern English city of Manchester.
Roger MacDonald is the new Panuku Development Auckland chief executive who took over a few weeks ago.
He sees similarities between Auckland and Manchester and thetwo city's urban regeneration paths and processes.
MacDonald, who took over from John Dalzell, compared Manchester some years ago to Auckland today, saying the British city had suffered congestion issues and lacked people in its heart.
"I'd like to draw a comparison. Manchester, going back 10 to 15 years ago, was a place where people used to come in as commuters, work in a business environment and effectively when the clock struck five, they departed," he said.
"We have very similar parallels in the CBD in terms of we have massive traffic generations, people coming into the carp parks, operating in terms of their business environments and then obviously leaving in the evenings.
"What we need to try and change is to get people to live, work and play in the centre of this community, bring a real heart to the centre and a place where people stay."
Manchester was transformed with building-use changes and development of its waterfront during more than a decade, he said.
MacDonald was a member of the British Urban Regeneration Association, a steering committee which guided major developments including the regeneration of Manchester. He worked on London's Marsham Street, Dubai's Jumeria Garden City and the new Khalifa Port and Industrial Zone in Abu Dhabi.
Roger MacDonald of Panuku.
He has worked on urban regeneration and renewal internationally for more than two decades, leading property and infrastructure projects in the Middle East, United Kingdom, Europe, India, the United States and Africa.
Manchester, where a major urban renewal process has been undertaken.
Panuku has extensive land and waterfront holdings and MacDonald said its focus in the next few years would be changes in the CBD, Manukau's city centre, Northcote town centre, Onehunga and Takapuna.
Active projects which Panuku has been involved in lately include the Wynyard Quarter where two big apartment blocks are rising and the Civic Administration Building on Aotea Square, being converted into apartments and a hotel.
Dalzell left the job on September 30 after leading Panuku and before that Waterfront Auckland and Sea + City.
MacDonald, a widower born in 1960, has sons aged 27 and 24 and daughters aged 20 and 18. He is renting an apartment on level 27 of Metropolis on Courthouse Lane but might consider moving to another apartment or a family home.
He returns to Britain for Christmas and his family home in Epsom, Surrey.
