Dr Bryce Wilkinson: Auckland's wilful no-build lines

Auckland Council protects eighty views across the city. Mainly, not views from homes. Instead, mostly sightlines from public spaces toward landmarks. Vistas like Rangitoto and the Waitākere Ranges.

From the 1970s, Council drew invisible lines through the air above the CBD. It declared that no building could rise above them. The planning term is a view shaft.

Those rules stifle development. Freezing the past comes at a cost.