Copyright is owned by the Author of the thesis. Permission is given for a copy to be downloaded by an individual for the purpose of research and private study only. The thesis may not be reproduced elsewhere without the permission of the Author.
The Origin and Evolution of Urban Form in Wanganui Eaet, Gonville and Caetleclitf.
A Thesis Presented iri Pa!'tial Jt'ulfilment of the Requirements
!'or the Degree of !!aster of ).rts in Geography at Massey University.
By
~omaa Gordon D1ckaon Kaaee7 Un1Yera1t7
1970.
PLATE 1: WANG.ANUI EAST.
2 : GONVILLE.
PL4TE 3: CA3TLEC-'.JIFF.
-
11
Acknowledgement nnd tbanka la accorded the tollow- ing people ror their assistance ln t he compilation and
wr1t1ng of thie thesis.
Mr.
a. a .a.
Saunders Reader 1n Geography at Uaaee7 University, who 1n the t'iret instance wae largel.7 reapona1blo torthe intere•t I have 4eTeloped in W"ban
geog-rap~,and
who supervised
the atud1'
1n the early aantha. •r. w.D
. Roaa theea Town Planner
tor Wanganu1,
•U81Jeatedtbo
theae upon which the thea1a ie based and with h1a atat"t proYided every help. Mr.A . v.
Trl1n Lecturer in Geography at MasseyUniver-sity re~.d. the thea1s drat'te and provided valuable and appre~1atec criticiem.
Mr. J . Bro n the Valuer tor \1anganui and his aaoist- ant Mr. M. Calkin, made their record.a ot the age and style of each building available anll aaa1ated 1n the interpretation
or
the Valuation Rolla.
Ur. Ci mino and the staff of the ,.anganui Museum were most helpt•,l in the discovery of relevant maps. '.i'he
etu!'t' ot' Turnbul l Library were al so
o r
great aasiat~ ce 1nthi e re ape et.
Acknowledgftlent ia aleo accorded tbe atatf of the
Landa and
SuneyDqa:rtment Well1nat.o n.
whoude
an1leble t.berecorcta
~ the or1slnal a\lb41v1a1onot lane, tor urban
purpo••••
IU•• YTonne Pearaon
ot the oarto~.Pbl' aeotton ot
the Oeosra.Pb-1 D-.pMr\aeln1 Maaae7
UJuYera1t1. g•nt
~ l ong houra dnwing t.be tU~ficul\and ,e41o\la aoa
wh1ch beaz- he.r alsnature. HNs. L. Oritt.J.n a1ao ~ t.he carto~ap)ly sectionhelped
with aome ot tbe maps, andprovided
uoetul advice~John Souter Photography Limited Wanganu1, gave technical advice relating to the photographs and mounted them. Argosay Industrial Photographs Limited Palmerston North, photographed, reduced and then printed the maps and graphs.
Finally appreciation is extended to Mra. Ngaire Conybeer who typed the thesis copy, and to my family and friends who helped proof read it.
111
Acltnowledgementa.
Contents.
List of Tables.
List of Figures.
List ot Plates.
comms,
11
Introduction~ 1
Scope. 1
The Conceptual Framework. 1
The Morphological Stud,y s A General Statement. 3 An Approach to the ~orpholog1cal Stud¥. 4 The Problem of t he Now Z.oala.nd City. 6
Geogra .. hy and Planning. 7
Chapter 1 : The 8ubd1vis1on
or
Land. 9The Principle Uet..hods of ~ubdivi s1on. 10
Legislation Governing the Subd1v1s1on of Land. 15 The Reaultant Form
or
Subd1v1a1on 1n the Suburbs.19Conclusion. 27
Chapter 2 s The Development of the Street Syatem. 31
Introduction. 31
The Leg1alat1Ye Or1g1na o~ the Street Syatem. 53 The Pattern~ Growth of the Street System in
38
~ach of the Suburba.
Conclusion. 50
Chapter 3 s Take-ot't, Receeaion, Regeneration t The
Growth 01· Population 1n the Suburba. 52
lntro4uet1on. 52
Tha Main Per1oda o~ Gl'Ow\h. .53
Take-ott •
s,
Beeeaaion. 6,
R•pneration• 66
Cono1ueion. 68
Chapter
4
t 1'he Spatial ri:volutio.D ot 'Bu1141nga.73
Aima.
1,
O~igine ot 3ettlement.
74
The
Year• Pr1or to the Town
.Boar4E ra.
76Tba Early Town Board Years.
n
'the Lat• Town Board Yeara. 80
Amalgamation to orld War
II. 83
The Post-Viar Years. 87
The Suburbs and General Theories of Groth.
9~
Conclusion. 101
Chapter
5:
The House and Urban Form. 103Introduction. 103
Origins of the Bouse Form. 104
The Claas1t1cation of the Basic House Forms. 105 The Cottage.
The Villa.
The Bungalow.
The St ate House.
The odern House.
Conclusion.
Chapter 6: An Assessment of the Influence ot the Town Board Years.
Subdivisions and Streets.
The Spatial Evolution of Buildings.
~he Groth of Popu1at1on and Buildings.
The Main Styles of House.
Conclusion.
106 1 09
113 118 1 21 122
125 125 127 128 131 131
Conclusion : 'he UrLan 1-'orui of and Cactlecliff.
anganui ~&et, Gonville, 132
Appendix A. 149
Bibliography. 1 51
TABLE
I
I I
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
IX
X
LIST
OF TABLE ISection Size: Approximate Percentage Distribution by li'1 ve; Areal !;ategories.
Location of Buildin,-s in the year Prior to the Establishment of t he Suburbs as Separate 1owns (~pproxima e Percentage).
Gtre~t Width z Percentage Distribution.
Comparison of the Average Annual Percentage Increase
or
Population and Buildings in the Period1951 - 1966.
Increase in Population in the Suburbe and Borough
(1
806-1966).
The Population o:t' Each Suburb Expressed as a Perc:c..nt.age of the ombined Population of' the SubUI'b s and 13or OU gh (
1
886-1 9 06) ,Populatiun s Averace Percentage Increase Per -4.nnum in the Suburb and Borough
(1
886-1966).Added Population 1n the Three Suburbs and the Borough ( 1901-1906).
Population in 1906 Expressed as a Percentage
~ t he Population in that Suburb in
1966.
Incredee in Population in the Suburbs 1n Three
15
Yearly Period.2.3
29
35 53
57
58
59
62
72
XI Composition of House ccording to Architect- 110 ural Type (1968) Percentage.
LIST 0
IGURES.
,Figure.
Page,
1. ~ anganui s Streets •1nd Subdivisions (1965). Cover 2. Part of a ap of the Country Sections in the 11
District of anganui (1842-1843).
3. The Rural Sub di vi si cna ( 1 842) • 13 4. The Original Sub di visions for Urban Purposes. 21
5.
Origi1 s of the Street System.40
6. Topography ( 1968). 4 2
7. Growth of Popula t 1 on ( 1 886-1 966) • 5!i 8. Growth of Buildings (1910-1968). 56 9. Buildings l!.rected Yearly 1n Wanga.nui .i£aet 65
191 0-196 ) •
1 O. Builaings ;1irectec.i Yearly in onville ( 191 0-1968i67 11. Build1n s Erected Yaarlv in Castleclitf 69
( 1 91 0-1 968) •
12. Oro th of uild1nge (Pro 1900-Town Board). 75
13. Growth of Buildings (Town Board - 191 2). 78 14. Grov,th of Buildings ( 1913-1919). 81 15. Growth of Buildings ( 1920-1923). 82 16. Growth of' Buildings (1924-1939). 84 17. Growth of BuildingM (1 94C-1946). 86 18. Growth of Buildings (1947-1955). 88 19. Growth of Buildings (1 956-1961 }. 89
.
20. Gro,th of Duildings (1962-1968). 90 21. Growth of Tram and ail Routes.93
22. Generalised Diagram o the Major Zcmea of
96
Landuae and 8oc1o-Econo ie Or dea ot Popu1ation 1n th New Zealand City.
23. anganui, Sectora. 98
24.
Architectural Stylea of Bu1141.nge. 10825. Bungalow Btylea. 116
26, on e 1 ent1 l Landua • 137
LIST
a
PWES1Following Page i
1. Aerial Photograph of Wanganui East.
2. erial Pbotogra h 0£ Gonville.
3. herial Photograph ot Caetlecl1ff ,
1'1ollowing Page 148
4.
The Cottage.5.
The Bach,6.
A Villa Node,7.
Hi gh Grade Villa.8. Lo GraGe Villa.
9. Buni,ulmv . UlH rliia. 10. The svauisll Bwigalow.
11 • State House ubuI'bia.
12. Multi Units.
13. A Cul-de-eac.
14.
A Contemporary High Grade House on Baetia Hill.15. The Wangar ui East Retail Area.
16. Gonville Town Hall.
17. St, Peters hurch.
18. All aints hurch,
19. Landuse Zone 1n the Vicinity ot Balgownie, 20, Kowhai Park,
21 • Williams Doaain.
1
I1rrRODUCTION.
Scope,
The decision to study the urban form ot
Wanganui East, Gonville and Castlecliff (Plates 1,2 and 3) was made in 1968 after discussions with Mr. Ross, the t hen Town Planner for the City of anganui. The topic was
chosen ror two reasons. It as felt that the results could provide an insight into the evolution and nature of the suburbs concerned, which would be of use to the City Planners. In addition it allowed for study in
depth of concepts which appeared to be of considerable relevance not only to the geographer, but to the
community as a whole.
The three su·urbs were sele~ted because they alone within tne pre "'ent HorouL,11 of ; an_ ,rnui haa ont.e existed as separate towns (see AppendixA), and i t was t hought that because of t his they mi ght exhibit
distinctive characteristics in their physical form.
Thie hypothesis appeared to be supported by a preliminary investigation of the material available. Concomitant with this assumption and resultant :eypotheeia wae the belief that it was in any caae important to examine and
identify the elements of form in urban areas. It was felt that t he e, if inve tigated properly, could be helpful in correcting so e of the problem inherent in
the auburba, and 1n Ne Zealand town in general.
1'h• Conctptual framework,
Th following cone ptu 1 tr ework hae been
developed for t his study. It is largely original and is based upon research results, but it has at the same time
a clearly established ei'finity with the type of
morphological study developed by geographers such as Dickinson. 1
Urban areas may be considered as ecological units 1n which there i s by definition a close relation- ship between the various elements. These urban units or su~urba vary in the size and complexity of their eleinents, and also in the subtlety of the inter- rela tionshipa of these elements. The three suburbs under examination in this study are in these respects relativeLy small and simple. The urban unit has
many characteristics, many elements. These for the sake of simplification, and at the risk of over-
simplifi cation, may be organised into three fields;
physical, social, and economic.
This study is concerned pr imarily with an
examination of the physical characteristics of the three suburban areas. More specifically its attention is
directed towards an examination of their morphological structure. Five elements have accordingly been selected tor investigation.
(1)
(11) (111) (iv) (v)
The pattern of t he original subdivision of land.
Development ot the street system.
Growth of the population.
The spatial evolution of buildings.
The essential character!etica of the baalc unit of the euburbe, the house.
The above are not considered to be the awn total of all
2
the elements, but i t 1a felt that they are among the aoat
important underlying the form of the euburba. Other
elements such as natural features, open space, transport, commercial and industrial uses are also referred to.
The study takes the following form:
(i)
An investigation of the historical evolution of the elements which have given rise to the urbanlandscape.
(11) An examination of thia landscape, based upon a synthesis of the elements.
The Morphological St udy; A General StatementL
There are a number of ways in which the city may be consldered. One of the most import.ant of these
conc~ptual approaches sees 'function' and 'form' as the two essential factors in the delineation of urban areas.
The problem of the geographer asserts Dickinson, "is to d~termine .ot only the distinctive functions of urban settlement, but also how its elements are arran;ed in relation to ,3 cil other, ana t 1 the streets ana placea,112 or iu other words th~ nature of its morphological
structure.
The weight of literature in the field of urban geography indicate that there have been any more
functional than orpholog1cal studlea. This imbalance and neglect haa been reoognJsed b~ Collins who ha stated:
0very little ore 1 known about the present day compoai tion, function, and morphology ot towns, than 1 known about the anci nt cities.
Little progress haa been made in establishing definitive t chnlqu a, let on laws which atand th test of universal application.
Furthermor most pres nt day studies are de criptiv rather than interpr tive, and tail to explain the dynam1ea of human evolution!' 3
3
If this last criticism is true o~ this thesis, it 1a very possibly because the recency of the field (claimed
by Collin hi self) has not permitted the development of a satisfactory descriptive methodology, upon which to base more sophiaticated interpretive work. Thie being so furtner descriptive wor-1£ oi' this Jtind is highly sir ble, and indeed i a prerequisite for
such interpr etive st~dy.
One further viewpoint expressed by Collins is orthy of canGideratlon. It i s only when the geographer can come to grips with the urban microcosm that he can hope t o arrive at any significant concluoiona regarding th·' .1~ta:'c ')f to n.:;. ?Juch of the essence of the form ...,f l.1 "b ... cit,i~s ..:ao be explai11ed by exwnininu emal 1.
,1r.;..11 ar0a"". .:..xtcnsivc · tudie o · larG are o 1.n the
past ·1,1ve often inv1 ted superfici ali t '. Thus investig- ation of three small areas euch as ~anganui East,
Gonville, and Castlecliff, provides an o~portunity for much needed study 1n depth.
An
Approach to the M2n>ho1os1ca1 stud:f.L
The methodological tramework of thi study 1a based on the typ
ar
orphological tudy postulated by D1ck1.neon, ho state that the geographical etud,y of urban a ttl nt is cone rn d with our main problems.4(1) The p aical and cultura1 conditions involved 1n the or1g1.D o~ aettlemente.
(11) The r action of the nucleu in ita tunctional
and morphological d Telopaent to historical eT nte.
(111) The lU'e and organisation of the settlement Tiewed areally, both s a whole, and with respect to
4
differentiations within it.
(iv) The interrelationships between the settlement and its surrounding territory.
The investigation of the first three of these problems, is the central concern of this thesis. Ae it
ie morphological in nature, the study is logically concerned more with the physical than the specifically cultural conditions of urban areas. It should not be forgotten however that they are a direct expression of the character and pereinality of the society which built them. As such t hey will at points in the thesis
suggest wider implications of a social and economic nature.
.1.'he react i on of t he nucleus to historical events, and t e organization of settlement viewed areal ly, are feutures fundament al to an underst anding of the present orm of' urban areas. he maps included in this study depicting the chan ~in._: spatial distrib- utions and general growth of buildings through time, are thus of vital importance.
he study o aettla ents both ae e whole, and with respect to dift rentiat1one within them, needa elucidation. Th.is atuey 1a directed towarda the
examination ot three suburbs, which ay be regar ded as aub-eyeteme, and hence integral parts of on larger ayetem. Although the e aub- t ms aJ' tre te 1nd1v1d- ually, it ie 1.raportant to reme ber tbat they are a gmenta oz a larger unit.
5
Th re remains one turther 1aauo which should not be forgotten.
In
deciding to divide these urban areaainto two aspects, functional and morphological, 1t 1a realised that t hey are intimately interrelated. They are part of an ecological unit, which is in the phil- osophical sense .2!lll•
The Problem of the New Zeala11d CiiY,
Studies of this type are often motivated by the presence of problems which because of their magnitude require urgent solutions. The three suburbs included in this study however, in line with moat New Zealand cities, cannot be said to be in a serious condition. On the
other hand they appear to contain a number of Jnfavourable attrib11tes, which 1!' not corrected soon may provide the basis for r'uture problems of the kind (if not the mag- nitude) facing many of the cities of the world.
Fox states that to function well a city must deal with change. "The population explosion, t he growth of industry, the development 01· ti1c; ~,ri vate motor car,"
and other associated factor s (which include the burgeoning of the quB-rt~r acre uect1on, the chain wide street, and the bungalow), hav@ 1nitiatea ra[>id ch.an0e, ru1d have
"weakened the design and logic o'f citiee."5. Suburban sprawl, ongendered by growing affluence, and the
development o'f cllape~aed units, has acquired as associated teaturea, tbe breakdown ot community and neighbourhood lite. Thie has raised the question of whether the present pattsrn of suburban form• based o.tten on ditreront
principles for a di.t'terent age is suitable tor today and
6
tor the tuture. Examination of urban :torm, and the prooesa- es which have given rise to it, may provide important
clues for the future. 1Uthough New Zealand towns are young, the past is clearly and indelibly stamped on them.
They are as subject to obsolescence as any cities else- where in the world, i11deed local body litigation and
dwindling clt./ centras are already features of ".New tealand lire.
GeographY
and Planning,
There is an obvious although not necessarily a clearly defined relationship between geography and the field of planning, and more specifically in terms of this thesis between geography and town planning. 'fhe study of the morphology of an urban area illustrates this relation- ship, for 1 t draws on material from both fields of know- ledge. Z.ett.er states that the Geographer and the 1'own Pla.nner are both concerned with man's physical envlron- ment6 a satisfactory summation, providing that he does not mean
primarilY
concerned, His statement does in any case highlight one area in which I.he two disciplines meet and overlap. The morphological study concerned aeit is with the physical structure of urban areas, 1s one ot the ways the Geographer cnooses to appraise the
surface of the earth, as the habitat of man. The Town Planner on the other hand studies the physical form of an urban area as one of the important (perhaps ~ moat
important) 1nd1cea by which he can plan both tor the present and tor the tuture. '!'hey share 11 teral..17 a
COllDlon 'area' ot interest, although their conceptual
T1ewpo1n\a and the torcee which mot1Tate thea are clltterent.
7
8
Footnotes.
1 • Dickinson, 1959, 20-24.
2.
,
1959, 20.3. Coll ins, 1965, 215.
4. Dickinson, 1959, 12.
5.
Fox, 1964, 1.6. Zetter, 1966, 270..
