How we got the CRL
This article reflects on the development and advocacy behind Auckland's City Rail Link (CRL) as it nears completion. It discusses the project's significance for the city's urban development and future infrastructure planning.
Why it matters
Large-scale infrastructure projects serve as case studies for urban planning, government funding, and long-term city transformation.
Late last year I sat down outside Waitematā Station with the Godfather of the CRL to discuss how he did it, plus some further ruminations on our city’s development.
As we count down to the opening of the City Trail Link, just a matter of weeks now, it is really interesting to go back over how the project was fought for and finally approved.
This seems especially relevant to debates around possible future projects, and tensions between central and local government about how how our one city of scale could or should develop: big questions around funding and control. Plus of course how to get difficult and important things done, and questions of leadership and legacy.
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