Citizen Responses to Tactical Urbanism Initiatives in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

Tactical urbanism promises a cheap, fast, and adaptive way to alter streetscapes to encourage walking and cycling, and to discourage motorized transport, which are goals relevant to addressing climate change. However, negative public reactions may block tactical urbanism attempts by local authorities. We interviewed 13 project leaders and planners responsible for a nationwide campaign to apply tactical urbanism (the Innovating Streets for People project). Our aim was to identify factors that led to public acceptance of, or resistance to, the installations. We extracted six main themes from the interviews; resistance, aesthetics and experience, working with the community, understanding tactical urbanism, management, and data collection. One issue leading to public resistance was the removal of parking and restriction of car use. Residents were more likely to accept installations that were aesthetically pleasing and of high quality. Involving the community in the planning and installations increased ownership of the projects, and built local capacity. Our interviewees spoke of a lack of understanding by both themselves and of the community, recommended breaking large projects into smaller, less controversial steps, and collecting data through non-official channels, such as social media. Our research will be of use to local governments and planners seeking to garner community support for tactical urbanism projects.

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