In Auckland, the council has been running an experiment, and at the heart of it is a bold decision to remove restrictions around zoning — but the New Zealand election could change things.
I find it very interesting that this is a case where the left - which is generally pro regulation - is calling for a reduction in regulation because zoning regulation made things measurably worse in this case, and the supposedly “free market” right wants to keep zones highly regulated.
I don’t think the left and right divide on this issue has ever been that clean. The left are generally anti-development (to maintain local characteristics and heritage) but pro high density developer (but always in someone else’s suburb). The right have been pro-development but mostly in poor or outlining suburbs.
There’s so much self interest at play it’s hard to actually implement a good sensible centre policy.
I guess that depends which left your talking about. Labor are very pro development and make a huge number of building approvals plus big road development projects like the north east link and the level crossing removals.
I actually find state politics to be very different than federal or even local politics. Here in NSW, Labor have massively ramped up development, even more than the Coalition did (their head of the department of planning suggested some corruption is acceptable for accelerated development). However they put the brakes on public transport projects started by the Coalition.
Local council level Greens and Labor are all anti-development NIMBYs though.
Probably goes to show that “left” and “right” aren’t really monolithic terms.
I find it very interesting that this is a case where the left - which is generally pro regulation - is calling for a reduction in regulation because zoning regulation made things measurably worse in this case, and the supposedly “free market” right wants to keep zones highly regulated.
I don’t think the left and right divide on this issue has ever been that clean. The left are generally anti-development (to maintain local characteristics and heritage) but pro high density developer (but always in someone else’s suburb). The right have been pro-development but mostly in poor or outlining suburbs.
There’s so much self interest at play it’s hard to actually implement a good sensible centre policy.
I guess that depends which left your talking about. Labor are very pro development and make a huge number of building approvals plus big road development projects like the north east link and the level crossing removals.
I actually find state politics to be very different than federal or even local politics. Here in NSW, Labor have massively ramped up development, even more than the Coalition did (their head of the department of planning suggested some corruption is acceptable for accelerated development). However they put the brakes on public transport projects started by the Coalition.
Local council level Greens and Labor are all anti-development NIMBYs though.
Probably goes to show that “left” and “right” aren’t really monolithic terms.