OraTaiao strongly supports a change in how our streets are imagined – not as simple thoroughfares or places to store private vehicles, but as part of living, healthy communities. The changes in the Ministry of Transport's proposed regulatory changes will go some way to giving agency back to neighbourhoods and communities, which has been highlighted as a key plank of our climate adaptation response. They will, if implemented correctly, contribute to improvements in physical and psychological well-being. We are pleased to support the overall aims of the draft “Reshaping Streets” changes, though we make recommendations where necessary to strengthen and expand on them.
The full submission, prepared by Dr Dermot Coffey and members of the OraTaiao leadership including Dr Matt Jenks and Dr James Hamill, is available here