Sign In / Register
When searching for a new home, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of finding the perfect house, but choosing the right suburb is just as important.
A well-designed neighbourhood can enhance daily life, providing easy access to essential services, recreational spaces, and a strong sense of community.
With growth booming on the Coast, Hibiscus Matters asked Bill McKay, Senior Lecturer, School of Architecture and Design, University of Auckland and co-author of Urban Aotearoa, The Future for Our Cities what homebuyers should consider when selecting a suburb, whether they have young children, teenagers, or are planning for the years ahead.
Location, location, location
One of the first things to consider is proximity to essential services, and don’t just consider your needs now, think five to 10 years down the track when children are older, want more independence. Families with young children will prioritise access to good schools, playgrounds, and childcare, while those with teenagers might focus on public transport links, safe cycleways and community activities to encourage independence.
Room to walk and play
Consider road safety too. Older suburbs were very car-centred but today they should be more pedestrian friendly and walking to schools, shops, and parks is good for us and for the environment. With a young family, its often easier to pile everyone into a car but as the family gets older we become more conscious of the need for exercise and fresh air, and as kids grow they start using skateboards, scooters and bikes. Even parents need space to run with young babies and buggies – how easy is it to do that from the house?
If it is a new development in a suburb, also consider the amount of parking and the size of your yard. Increasingly developments are tightening up on on-site parking and many homeowners are filling their garages with home offices or just lots of stuff – that means you park in your driveway and visitors park on the road, which can cause parking shortages.
If your backyard is small, how close is the nearest park for kids to run around, kick a ball or for anyone to get out of the house, go for a walk, and be in nature for peace and quiet?
While older suburbs had conventional ‘kick a ball around’ parks (active green space), the green space in newer ones is often wetland or passive green space; good for the environment and for walking/jogging/cycling but can you kick a ball around there, or play outdoor games?
Meet your neighbours
Social interaction is an important factor for potential home buyers to consider. Knock on the door of a few neighbours and say you are thinking of moving there, what’s the neighbourhood like? That way you can hear about intangible things – local groups, facilities and so on. Plus you can check out your neighbours! See if you can find out if there are families of a similar age, kids and so on.
The older car-focused suburb could be quite isolating, so these days urban design tries to build in more opportunities for social interaction such as creating streets that slow cars and allow kids to play on them more easily and encourage walking. Cafes and shops are good spaces for what we call ‘third place’ interaction beyond home, work and school. As you become a regular, you start to create connections with other people such as other customers, or shop owners. Look for suburbs with a café and a few shops – these a good for social interaction plus building a sense of neighbourhood that big box shops and supermarkets don’t do.
Safety and smart planning
The footprint of homes is smaller these days and houses are becoming two or three storeys. They are smaller and closer together as we try and fit more people rather than sprawl over more land. One advantage of this is that a denser environment can move us closer to cafes, shops, community facilities and so on, plus a bigger pool of potential customers in turn encourages more cafes, shops and entertainment facilities.
Also check for walkways and cycleways that are safely separated from vehicle lanes – and sometimes well separated from roads, creating a unique walking or recreational network. But do look at it all in terms of Crime Prevention (CEPTED) through Environmental Design. A green landscape is pleasant but you may not want to walk home through areas with no ‘eyes on the street’ from neighbours, or through dense bush. These are fine for family walks but not for children walking home alone from school. Instead, it should be well-lit and visible walkways.
Environmental and climate resilience considerations
As climate change becomes a growing concern, urban design should be adapting to be more environmentally responsible. Many modern developments incorporate stormwater collection systems, wetlands, and green spaces that help absorb excess water, reduce flooding risks and reduce heat build-up.
Green roading design (cobbles rather than concrete, and swales rather than gutters) also help to soak up rainwater locally rather than piped reticulation that can become blocked and overloaded.
The season when you are house-hunting matters. It’s hard in summer to think about winter rain but we need to do it. Greenery is good, it slows and absorbs rain and it cools the environment. Concrete speeds floods along plus lots of hard-paved area also increases heat in the environment – cities can be hotter than out in the country – it’s the ‘heat island’ effect.
Building overheating can also be an issue – modern design tend to not have enough shading (eaves etc) plus the window area is often too great in proportion to the internal space, especially bedrooms.
A recent heat map of Auckland identified heat islands throughout the region showing the variation of temperature, so is worth consulting that before you buy.
Check the plans
For ‘official information’ read the LIMs and the Certificate of Title (now Registered Title) and if you don’t understand anything, get advice ( you will be using a lawyer anyway for this, your biggest financial commitment). You could get a building surveyor to look too (they do house inspections, and are not to be confused with land surveyors). Or get an architectural designer to have a look before you buy. Floodplain maps are very easy to find online at Auckland Council’s website – they show both flood plains and flood prone land, two different things. And ask the neighbours how the area performed in Auckland’s floods!
A well-chosen suburb enhances not only property value but also quality of life. By considering factors like location, green spaces, social connection, safety, and climate resilience, homebuyers can make an informed decision that meets their needs now and in the future.
Auckland Council’s newly released Auckland Urban Heat Assessment report highlights how land cover affects temperatures across the city, with built-up areas trapping significantly more heat. The study found that Auckland’s central city can be up to three degrees hotter at night than surrounding areas due to the urban heat island effect. High-density infrastructure and concrete surfaces contribute to these temperature differences, with Nelson Street recording the highest average temperature of 19.8°C over a five-month summer period. In contrast, green spaces like Albert Park were noticeably cooler, showing how trees and open areas can help mitigate urban heat. The research used climate data from Auckland’s hottest summer on record (2021–2022) to model temperatures across the region. It found that parts of South Auckland also recorded high temperatures, while the coolest areas included the Waitākere and Hunua Ranges, as well as Whangaparāoa and the North Shore, which benefited from sea breezes. With climate change expected to increase the number of hot days from 20 to 90 per year by the end of the century, experts warn of rising health risks. The council’s climate resilience advisor, Petra Pearce, says Aucklanders must prepare for more frequent heatwaves, making urban planning and green infrastructure crucial in keeping the city cool.
