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Good practice Imported

Innovating Streets for People — New Zealand's National Tactical-Urbanism Pilot Fund

New Zealand · Wellington · See the New Zealand profile · See the Wellington profile

Evidence: Observational / pre–post Top 17% 81/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Waka Kotahi's ~NZD 24m Innovating Streets fund paid 32 councils to trial 89km of low-cost cycleways, parklets and traffic calming in 2019–2021. A Porirua trial got 85% of drivers under 30km/h near a school, but some installations elsewhere were removed after public backlash.

~24 NZD million
Total programme funding (2020-21 round)
13.95 NZD million
Initial funding announcement
10.1 NZD million
Further funding round
32 councils
Councils funded
78 projects
Projects delivered
89 km
Interim street treatments (2020-21 round) (2020-21)
85 %
Drivers under 30km/h near Russell School, Porirua
90 %
Agency co-funding share

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency
Period
2019–2021 (succeeded by Streets for People, 2021–2024)
Keywords
tactical urbanism, road safety, active travel, co-design

Context

In 2019, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency launched Innovating Streets for People, a national co-funding programme applying 'tactical urbanism' -- quick, low-cost, temporary street changes -- to test safer, more people-friendly designs before committing to permanent works.

Objectives

The agency funded 90% of approved project costs from the National Land Transport Fund, with councils covering the remainder, aiming to accelerate safety and accessibility improvements and build community support for further change.

Activities

Across 32 councils, the programme delivered 78 projects and, in the 2020-21 round alone, about 89 kilometres of interim street treatments -- cycleways, parklets, kerb build-outs, speed cushions and safer school crossings -- each co-designed with local communities.

Results

In Porirua's Fantame Street, traffic-calming changes near Russell School reduced speeds so that 85% of passing drivers travelled below the 30 km/h 'survivable speed' threshold. A Waka Kotahi mixed-method evaluation (initial summary November 2020, full report April 2022) found the programme accelerated safety and accessibility improvements and built community support for further change, while flagging a need for greater sector capability. Not every trial succeeded: painted markings on Dunedin's George Street were removed after complaints, and planter boxes in Gore and Mosgiel were vandalised or petitioned away by residents who objected to the temporary installations.

Conclusions

The programme's institutional model proved durable regardless -- it was renewed as the 'Streets for People' programme for 2021-2024 -- even where individual street trials were reversed.

Implementation
Indicative cost
High (€500k–€5M) — Roughly NZD 24 million total (NZD 13.95m initial announcement plus a further NZD 10.1m round) for the 2020-21 funding round, with Waka Kotahi covering 90% of approved project costs and councils the remainder.
Time to results
Medium (1–3 years) — Programme ran 2019-2021 (78 projects, ~89km of treatments in the 2020-21 round alone), evaluated in November 2020 (summary) and April 2022 (full report), then renewed as 'Streets for People' for 2021-2024.
Staffing & skills
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency programme team (national), 32 participating local councils' delivery teams, Community co-design participants

Conditions for success

  • 90% national co-funding lowering the barrier for councils to trial changes
  • Temporary/low-cost 'tactical urbanism' materials allowing quick installation and reversal
  • Community co-design built into each project
  • National coordinating agency (Waka Kotahi) enabling consistent rollout across 32 councils

Common failure modes

  • Painted markings on Dunedin's George Street removed after public complaints
  • Planter boxes in Gore and Mosgiel vandalised or petitioned away by residents objecting to temporary installations
  • Programme evaluation flagged a need for greater sector capability

Where it fits

Governance type
national transport agency co-funding local councils
Scale
national programme across 32 councils
Income level
high-income (New Zealand)

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes

Indicative funding routes for practices of this type — always check each programme's current calls and eligibility rules.

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

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