Shrinking Communities

Abstract

In 2014, it was reported by the Dominion Post that New Zealand has a problem of ‘shrinking communities’ in rural townships. Difficult decisions are looming in these rural communities due to an imbalance in population, deaths that outpace births, and the costs of maintaining local services exceeding rate payments. These communities have received limited investigation in how design-led research can contribute to the revitalisation of these rural townships.

The findings of the research explored proposes that the profession of landscape architecture must understand the value of the individual rural townships and how it has been characterised through the evolution of its cultural identity. In order to address the problem of shrinking communities, this design research led thesis hypothesizes that the key to rejuvenation is discovering a succinct relationship between the landscape qualities of the site, the founding industries, and diversifying community. This relationship is framed as the notion of ‘cultural heart’. The identity associated with the ‘cultural heart’ of a rural township is the starting point that should guide redevelopment to address these systemic problems.

Within the Kapiti Coast, the construction of an expressway in the rural township of Waikanae becomes the focus of this research. It is hypothesized this expressway will have a significant influence on the heart of the community’s economic and social foundation. Waikanae currently has a heavy reliance on the existing State Highway One that currently runs directly through and defines the town centre. This thoroughfare sustains a soon-to-be dwindling economy as the expressway is predicted to eventually result in Waikanae becoming another shrinking community. This produces a unique opportunity to use research to test a hypothesis of regeneration in the heart of the community and enforce further growth of the townships cultural identity.

This thesis explores possibilities of how the notion of cultural heart can be used to evaluate and lead re-development that reinforces the connection of landscape qualities while pushing for a diversity in industry and population, without losing the essence of the community.