Nine To Noon Urban Issues with Bill McKay
Mar 29, 2026
Bill McKay, senior lecturer in architecture and planning who focuses on urban design and resilience, explores fuel-proofing cities. He discusses how sprawl and car dependence raise fuel vulnerability. He recommends electrifying logistics, rooftop solar and microgrids, harvesting industrial rainwater, and converting vacant central buildings to housing to shorten trips and cut fuel use.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Living Close Cut The Car Habit
- Bill McKay contrasts his short walk to buses, a supermarket and an urban village with many New Zealanders who must drive due to sprawl.
- He recounts postwar shift from British transit models to US-style suburbs, malls and car dependence driven by cheap fuel and US influence.
Sprawl Raises Costs And Fuel Vulnerability
- Sprawl increases infrastructure costs, eats arable land and entrenches car and fuel dependence, making cities less resilient to fuel shocks.
- Postwar adoption of US suburban models replaced prewar British-style public transport-connected infill, locking in those vulnerabilities.
Electrify Logistics And Use Warehouse Microgrids
- Electrify local logistics and use large rooftop solar on warehouses to create microgrids and reduce diesel dependence for trucks and buses.
- Collect rainwater from industrial roofs for vehicle washing and to act as stormwater detention tanks reducing flood risk.