Public Infrastructure is Public Space!

We have a climate crisis and an emerging energy crisis, which will demand more major investment in renewable energy generation infrastructure for Aotearoa. 

There are clear public benefits of investment in major energy infrastructure at a regional and national scale through electricity generation, a tool of ‘nation building’. Power developments began to incorporate landscape beautification later on in New Zealand’s 20th century hydro-development boom, but there remained limited attention or understanding of the localised public benefits (or disbenefits) and about how public space is rendered through major infrastructure development, particularly in rural contexts.

The Urban Advisory led primary research with the University of Auckland School of Architecture to explore this knowledge gap and develop greater understanding about public spaces created through power development in New Zealand. We applied frameworks and principles from landscape, urban design and energy systems disciplines, and compared case studies from the Waikato Power Scheme (Aratiatia) and Waitaki Basin Scheme (Benmore). 

This research raised important questions about how New Zealand has previously conceived of and valued public space in rural infrastructural contexts, and how we could enhance public space and broader public benefits when planning major infrastructure investment in the future.  At The Urban Advisory, we are always interested in how to improve development processes and meaningfully deliver outcomes for people and place: the delivery of major infrastructure is no different! We have developed a framework to assess the public space elements of major energy infrastructure projects. We hope this research will benefit future planning and investment in major energy infrastructure, applying multidisciplinary knowledge and past projects into a practical framework to guide decision-making and the integration of public space benefits across the scales of major infrastructure development. 

How do we deliver quality public space through energy infrastructure projects?

While the principal purpose of major energy infrastructure projects is to generate electricity for regional or national benefits, they also provide local benefits like public space. In this research, an integrated, interdisciplinary perspective of infrastructure, landscape and public space was critical to understanding the different elements and interrelationships of public space that can emerge in major energy infrastructure projects. We considered perspectives and principles from energy systems, urban design and landscape disciplines to find the intersections and implications for the provision of public space in energy infrastructure. 

• Major energy infrastructure projects like hydroelectric power development create a transformed landscape through harnessing natural processes and modifying the natural landscape to generate energy. In our research we described the transformed landscape as the ‘energyscape’. This includes the natural landscape environment, power generation infrastructure and, through this transformation, an additional spatial typology: public space (see diagram). 
• Multifunctionality is a key characteristic of integrated infrastructure development. There are many opportunities to integrate other functions beyond energy generation, including public space and other localised public benefits. While more complex, there are numerous advantages to enabling infrastructure development that is more multi-functional.
• Context is a crucial consideration when planning major energy infrastructure. A deep understanding of social, environmental, cultural, economic contexts should be developed through engagement and applied to meaningfully provide for local public benefits. This may include prioritising public space for socio-cultural outcomes, but also encompasses Te Tiriti obligations and the role of mana whenua, environmental impact and carbon life cycle impact analysis, for example. Overall, the role of the pre-development context must inform how major energy infrastructure is created.
• Public values of the environment and energyscapes have changed over time, and certainly will have shifted since the major development period from 1950s-1980s. It’s important to understand these values through engagement, integrating urban design and landscape expertise into the engineering design process, and realising the proposed public benefits through design & delivery.

Public Space Assessment Framework for Major Projects

We developed a public space assessment framework (below) as a tool to understand public space values within energyscapes created by major energy infrastructure development. The framework was informed by systems, principles and frameworks related to spatial functions, values and interrelationships from landscape, urban design and energy systems literature. There is scope to expand this framework to provide a more comprehensive tool. However, as is, this framework offers a range of relevant criteria which demonstrate the diverse ways that public space can be rendered through major infrastructure development, while highlighting key constraints and opportunities.

Case Studies

As part of testing and refining this framework, we assessed two New Zealand case studies: Aratiatia in the North Island of New Zealand and Benmore in the South Island. These cases were chosen because of their contrasting characteristics as energyscapes and similar period of construction and completion from 1964–1965. Aratiatia has an iconic scenic location, controversy surrounding its development and an innovative design response to preserve the natural value of the site. In contrast, the Benmore has a very different landscape context with different values informing the form and scale of the intervention. 

Over time, we have seen an improvement in how environmental impacts and environmental values are considered in hydropower developments and planning, demanding more mediation of the way massive infrastructural elements are built into the landscape. However public space and public values in the local context have been undervalued in past design and planning processes for major energy infrastructure. There is room for a broader conception of public benefits from public investment.

In the future, we hope this framework can be used to evaluate and influence energy infrastructure planning, decision making and design in a way that prioritises the public space elements at the local scale of these projects. Prioritising the provision of public space can enhance the broader public values and functions at the local scale.

New Zealand will need future investment in major renewable energy infrastructure, like hydropower, solar and wind, to reduce climate emissions from energy and improve energy resilience. While the location and type of energy systems are undetermined, there will be opportunities to deliver broader public benefits through major infrastructure investment for public benefit regardless. This research has highlighted that intergenerational investment in energy infrastructure should be viewed as an opportunity to invest in both local and national wellbeing. 

This research has built new knowledge around the nature and functions of public space in major energy infrastructure projects, which provide public benefits at a local scale within these transformed landscape contexts. 

The Urban Advisory exists to support and provide more integrated thinking about urban development challenges, to create better outcomes for people and place. Major energy infrastructure projects are a critical opportunity to apply an integrated approach, from investment and planning to design and delivery. The range of public benefits and values that can be provided through major projects can be enhanced throughout the process by drawing on interdisciplinary knowledge, thinking across scales and disciplines.