Speaking in three dimensions

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Betsy Williamson

Canadian architect Betsy Williamson, co-founder of Williamson Williamson (WWInc), is an enthusiastic proponent of high-quality design that is rooted in detail, clarity and creative solutions, and balanced by focused project management.

Welcome to Auckland. What has kept you busy so far?

I arrived yesterday and was directed to Queen Street, first of all. I was immediately drawn off to the side into the laneways, the smaller shops and arcades, and then into the parks and the connective tissue in between some of these places. Secondly, the waterfront and the red fence. I sit on the Waterfront Toronto Design Review Panel where we look at aspects of design excellence and quality of public spaces and the community ownership of the waterfront. So, as I was walking into [Spark] Arena this morning, I was speaking to my guide about what the plan is for Auckland and how you can start to bring the city down to the water and actually develop a public infrastructure, as opposed to just a virtual infrastructure. There are ways to be able to carve out public areas, where you could actually make a continuous path for walkers, cyclists and scooters, and then have little parks or urban squares that kind of dip into it at opportune times to start to make people feel like they own the waterfront