08 December 2025 The rural-urban fringe: turning tension into opportunity

As cities and urban living expand to meet rural landscapes, the question of how we use land has never been more pressing. Across New Zealand, the spread of urban development is eating into fertile farmland and natural habitats, and this growing challenge places pressure on the ecosystems that sustain life, food security and biodiversity.

Selwyn, New Zealand’s fastest-growing district, demonstrates this tension. Housing developments are spreading across highly productive soils, land that once supported agriculture and horticulture. Once converted to housing, these areas are almost impossible to reclaim for food production.

Researchers at Te Whare Wānaka o Aoraki Lincoln University are seeking to understand how spaces can be reimagined so housing, food production and native habitats can live together. PhD student and Senior Tutor in Landscape Architecture Marcus Robinson, Professor Jacky Bowring, Dr Shannon Davis, alongside Dr Sarah Edwards from the Bioeconomy Science Institute, wrote the article, Spatial opportunities at the rural-urban fringe: balancing urban growth, food production and ecology, published in Landscape Research. In it, they explore how multifunctional green spaces could transform the way we live in the future.

“The traditional approach to planning, where housing, farmland and nature are treated as distinct zones, is no longer sustainable,” says Marcus. “We need more efficient and integrative approaches to land use. That means increasing housing density to protect fertile soils for food production, while also creating spaces that serve multiple purposes - housing, nature and food production - rather than sacrificing one for the other.”

Reimagining cities and urban living could, for example, see parks utilised for more than just recreation, with native plantings, community gardens and natural water systems. These green spaces can be used to connect suburbs to the city, providing habitats for wildlife and pathways for people. These are examples of multifunctional green spaces, a design concept that may offer a better way to balance urban growth with environmental health.

To integrate different land uses, multifunctional green spaces require strategic planning that considers both connectivity and scale. Connectivity means considering how people, wildlife and waterways move through landscapes. Greenways with walking tracks, cycle paths and habitat corridors are possible solutions. Scale is an important consideration too. Some native bird species may need large, undisturbed areas, while others thrive in smaller spaces. Similarly, food production can range from large commercial farms to small urban community gardens.

Marcus is quick to offer an example of greenways being used successfully. After the 2011 earthquakes, Christchurch city created the Red Zone, a vast greenspace following the Avon River.

“The Red Zone links the outer east side of Christchurch to the central city. This type of green space is ideal for combining recreation, food production and native restoration while following a natural water system. An area like this shows what is possible when we think about how we can combine land uses and utilise it to connect communities and ecosystems,” Marcus says.

Looking ahead, Marcus believes success depends on collaboration.

“To inform design, we need a transdisciplinary approach bringing together scientists, community representatives, iwi leaders, and local and central government. We need to understand what kind of world people want to live in and develop new design approaches that promote connectivity and greater engagement between people and nature.

“Public engagement is vital. From my research, I discovered that when people are in close contact with nature, they take greater care of natural environments. Creating networks of green spaces for all to enjoy is one way to foster this connection. By reimagining landscapes as multifunctional spaces, we can build cities that support food production, restore native habitats and create vibrant communities.”  

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