TARUHERU
CYCLE AND
WALKWAY
study
undertaking the TARUHERU RIVER PATH FEASIBILITY STUDY.
Client: Gisborne District Council
Sector: Public
Services: Landscape & Urban
4Sight Consulting, in collaboration with Urban Solutions, Resilio Studio and Land Development and Exploration Ltd, were commissioned by Gisborne District Council to carry out an extensive feasibility study of a 4.5km shared pathway along the Taruheru River in Gisborne. The shared path is to allow for a variety of users including walkers, cyclists, prams, wheelchairs, mobility scooters and riders of wheeled recreational devices, being at least 3m wide. It is expected that the pathway will consist of a mixture of concrete and boardwalk. The Taruheru River Path utilises Councils owned Esplanade Reserve, Recreation Reserve land and in some sections is a boardwalk within river mudflats. There are also sections that will require land purchase and/or an easement.
4Sight provided planning, ecological, landscape assessment and graphic design services to undertake the Taruheru River Path Feasibility Study for Gisborne District Council. The document proposes a new shared path to be built alongside the Taruheru River in Gisborne, capturing key views of the river while traversing through the riparian landscape.
The highly collaborative approach ensured that this project created a comprehensive document to best inform the decision making process.
Local GIS systems were used early in the investigation for invaluable information such as topography, aerial imagery, transportation networks, flood data and property boundaries. Overlaying several layers of this data onto aerial photographs provided clear guidance from the beginning to inform the landscape character design-led process.
The initial site visits with the project team included undertaking basic landscape character assessments and planning assessments to clearly define the projects objectives, constraints, opportunities and design considerations.
The Taruheru River Path feasibility study was a success, being presented on time and budget to Gisborne District Council. As a result of the feasibility study providing clear concept designs, the first stage of the Taruheru River Path is currently seeking consent.
"The [Taruheru Cycle and Walkway] study was completed on time, on budget and to a high standard, and we were kept up to date throughout the process. The final report was presented in a way that was easy to interpret and visually appealing with the final solution being well thought out."
- Kylie Dowding, Project Manager at Gisborne District Council