What is a Character Area in City Planning?
The concept of Character Area and Heritage Area are often misunderstood.
Character areas or special character areas are often misunderstood with heritage areas. Some people include heritage areas in character areas, whereas others differentiate them. In my opinion, character areas refer to the unique characteristics an area or precinct posses whereas heritage refers to specific historic buildings or cultural sites such as monuments.
The character of the area needs to be considered when understanding the overall area of the city. Wellington’s Town Belt and the views seen from Mount Victoria are unique character precincts. The Wellington City Council has recently increased their character areas in their Proposed District Plan which gives specific areas in the CBD of Wellington, New Zealand more character precincts.
Character areas include parks and are usually low-lying areas which does not include many high rise buildings, specifically in Wellington, New Zealand. Although a place like Chicago or New York City would be distinctive for its high rise buildings and the character of the space would be specific to its built organisation. A range of different natural and created features can contribute to the character of an area, including landscapes, natural formations…
