A growing Auckland, but with less cars - is that possible?

I believe it is!

I moved to Auckland from Europe less than 6 months ago and I must start with saying that I absolutely love it here. The climate is great, the people are friendly and there is lots of great architecture and creativity in the city which I love. Unfortunately I have become very dependent on using the car wherever I go. In Europe I lived for years without even owing a car, and life was pretty simple with fresh walks, the bike if the distance was I bit to far, and of course the local trams (Gothenburg), tubes (London) and local buses commuting to work.

I brought my bike when we moved here, aiming to start using it wherever I go but the lack of cycle lanes, cycle stands and ignorance from drivers I feel too vulnerable on the busy central Auckland roads. Auckland is about to change, it will increase significantly over the next 30 years and the city council has big ambitions for the city and is hoping it to become the most liveable city in the world. I really hope this could be a reality, but for that to happen there must be a drastic change in the way Aucklanders use their cars and start walking, cycling or at least start using the local buses or trains. It's a bit ironic but you can quite often see the [empty!] buses, stuck in the morning traffic, amongs cars with only a driver but no other passengers.

Here's some inspiring films about life in cities.

The human scale - a new film with the great Danish architect Jan Gehl, about human interaction in our cities.

Copenhagen - the most liveable city, by Monocle.

And last, Saturdays in Charleston, a really picturesque short film, by Kinfolk, of how life in a city with less cars can be like.

Hoping to see this in Auckland one day very soon!

fun cycle stands

a new funky cycle stand that adds a great splash of colour in any urban environment is the new Hook cycle stand from Swedish Nola. With its simple design it is discreet and lightweight and doesn't take up much space, yet function a s a bold detail in contemporary urban life.

images nola

Bob and Friends

today I visited the shop Bob and Friends in Ponsonby. They bring great contemporary British design to New Zealand but has also a few handpicked Scandinavian products such as the famous String shelving system and blankets from Swedish Klippan.

 images string.se

 This warm woolen blanket Ringar from Klippan works well in a wintery New Zealand!

image Klippan

designex

today I visited designex, the leading trade fair for design professionals in New Zealand. I met with many new suppliers, other designers, had a good chat with auckland council about the new auckland unitary plan and even saw some familiar faces. Unfortunately I was a little disappointed by the lack of Scandinavian products and design, I hope there will be a change for the next coming design events as there is a huge interest in Scandinavian design here in New Zealand and Australia.

Luckily I run in to my friend form Design Denmark who showed some latest lighting from Louis Poulsen and Normann Copenhagen, including these stunning pendants from Louis Poulsen

Claesson Koivisto Rune..

..is one of the most talked about Swedish architecture practices today. They are a multi disciplinary design practice and create everything from architecture and interiors to furniture, home accessories and jewellery. Their architecture is stunning and three recently built houses are Kråkmora Holmar, Folded roof house and Drevviken, see images below.

 

  

Kråkmora Holmar

 

 

 Folded roof house

Drevviken

The Kilt storage furniture, available from Asplund.

Rosendal's Garden Cafe

One of my favourite cafes in Sweden is the famous Rosendal's Garden Cafe in Stockholm. It just won the prestigious White Guide Cafe prize because of its beautiful and relaxed ambience and their delicious lunches and bakery from own produce. The cafe lays in peaceful surroundings and it's hard to believe that you are within walking distance to central Stockholm. It has been around for 30 years this year and has always had an ecological and biodynamic focus and most of their delicious food, home made bread and bakery are made from their own locally produced crops. The cafe itself is inside a beautiful glass house but there is plenty of green surroundings to enjoy and have a seat.

Some inspiring and images from this inner-city garden cafe!

Images from Rosendal's Garden Cafe

Design Denmark

Today I visited the fantastic Design Denmark shop in Ponsonby, Auckland. They sell high end indoor and outdoor furniture, lighting, gifts and home wares from premium Danish design brands. Please check out their shop, or website if you're not in Auckland, as Danish design ware is timeless and anything you buy you can consider as a design classic and an investment for the future.

Below some latest products in store - Dropit Hooks, Bell lamps and the Norm12 lamp shade, all from Normann Copenhagen.