Opinion: Connected cities could be key to curbing climate change

Ryan Mearns applauds the Auckland City Council's proposed City Rail Link. Photo / Craig Robertson

The investment a city makes into its infrastructure is a defining characteristic of how serious it is at addressing climate change. This is particularly relevant with Auckland's long term budget up for renewal.

The budget includes the funding for all major infrastructure projects over the next decade and so, with Auckland expected to grow by a million people over the next 30 years, it offers the city a chance to re-imagine its carbon footprint.

The New Climate Economy (NCE), a report published by the World Resources Institute earlier this year, argued that building compact and connected cities can both boost a city's economy and help tackle climate change.

The report recommended cities "redirect existing infrastructure funding towards more compact, connected and coordinated urban infrastructure". This simply means diverting capital away from projects such as new highways on the urban fringe that encourage the city to spread out and move investment towards an integrated public transport network.

By doing so, the report argued, cities can both reduce their cities carbon footprint (GHG emissions per capita) and grow their economies (GVA per capita).

For Auckland this would mean directing funds into building a city-wide, rapid public transport network over the next 15 years similar to the Congestion Free Network; a transport plan laid out by Generation Zero and Transport Blog that shows a long term vision for public transport in Auckland.

Investing in public transport in Auckland's budget, following the recommendations of the NCE report, would also support the growing urbanisation of younger generations. International trends show young people, including in Auckland, are choosing to live in the central city in order to be walking distance from amenities and reduce their daily commuting time.

The NCE report highlighted how compact cities help curb climate change because as cities spread out its residents are more likely to rely on their cars. In contrast, the more compact a city is, the less distance people need to travel every day, and the easier it is to use public transport.

By comparing the cities of Atlanta and Barcelona this trend is obvious. They both have a population of roughly 5 million people but completely different carbon footprints as a result of their different investments into public transport. Atlanta sprawls over 4,000 km2 with a footprint of 7.5 tonnes compared with Barcelona that covers 162 km2 with a carbon footprint of 0.7 tonnes.

In comparison Auckland covers over 500 km2 with a carbon footprint of 7 tonnes.

The Mayor's draft long term budget, laying out the funds the city has to spend on new projects, has settled on a 3.5% rates increase over the next three years. This means the City Rail Link (CRL), a 3km rail tunnel connecting Britomart with the rail network at Mt Eden, can go ahead if central governments contribution comes through.

The CRL will link the disparate limbs of Auckland's rail network into a coherent whole allowing trains to go through Britomart. This will allow frequencies to increase dramatically and shorten the time it takes to get into the city from West Auckland.

The CRL will also mean an airport rail line is possible, running every 15 minutes, and a North Shore rail line, under the harbour, would be able to connect at Aotea Station within the next 15 years. The CRL is the foundational transport project that Auckland needs.

If the recommendations of the report are followed, to focus on building a quality compact city and an integrated public transport network, Auckland will be able to grow its economy and reduce its carbon footprint. A win-win in anyone's eyes.

That's why Auckland's long term budget could be such a powerful tool to address climate change.

Ryan Mearns is the Communications Director for youth organisation Generation Zero that represents 10,000 New Zealanders working to cut carbon pollution through smarter transport, liveable cities & independence from fossil fuels.

Like what you see? For weekly Element news sign up to our newsletter. We're also on Facebook and Twitter.