Could we go up? 'Yes, I think Tauranga could go up, yeah!”

High rise or high-er rise downtown Tauranga. That sort of talk is bound to unsettle the pigeons and ruffle the establishment.

Peter Kageyama is just sowing a seed though.

"I am not an American imperialist telling you how you should do things.”

He is just tossing round an idea.

He wouldn't change the complexion of Tauranga. But there would be an adjustment of the skyline.

"There is a manageable sort of height.”

As an American community and economic expert, a lover of cities, he offers fresh perspectives on how councils and citizens can better engage "and create loveable places”.

After all, as he says, no city is loved because it fixes potholes.

The author of book ‘For the Love of Cities: The Love Affair Between People and Their Places' was in Tauranga for a three-day visit this month, talking to to city business leaders, Tauranga City Council's community development team and a rotary club.

He utters the ‘D' word – even though it's offensive to some. ‘D' for density.

"But a lot of people like what density brings – they like walk-ability, they like lots of retail, restaurant options. ‘Hey, somethings going on here'. Lots of activities and events. A market. And you only get that when you have more people living closer together.”

And ‘D' means we go up.

Peter says historically people looked at density as poor design. "Towers? Oh terrible!". But he says today we think of density as really well designed smaller spaces.

'Smaller spaces don't really need as many cars because all those young professionals, those young millennials aren't necessarily in love with the car as we were. They don't look at them as prestige and freedom; they look at them as a burden.”

And it's the millennials, those who reached adulthood around the year 2000, that we should be listening to.

"That's the demographic set to eclipse the baby boomers. They want their cities and downtowns designed around their attitudes.

"They are the ones who will be living there. And they are a huge cohort moving through.”

The millennials are the young professionals who work downtown, want to live downtown and play downtown.

"But be it kids, parents or millennials – there has to be room for them all downtown. It's not just a business or entertainment district, it's everyone's neighbourhood.”

Mock-up of skyline with highrise.

Peter says his hometown of St Petersburg in Florida had many parallels with Tauranga – water, a moribund CBD and an ageing demographic.

"But it did a good job of embracing the millennials, it allowed people to go up. They realised a bit of density is actually quite good.”

And there could possibly be an incentive strategy to encourage more developers to look at redevelopment of the CBD rather than the easier options in the suburbs.

”Incentivise at a policy level.”

Again, he's not dictating but rather suggesting – being a critical friend.

"And sometimes a good friend will tell you when your shoes don't match and your fly is open. And I am friend one. We have dated twice so far.”

He means he was here before, three years ago when he inspired the street pianos. He likes Tauranga.

So if the CBD is to fly, how do we stop the exodus to the malls?

"Downtown retail will never compete with the malls. If it tries, it will lose. They are different beasts. You go to the mall for a certain kind of experience and downtown for a different kind of experience.”

And to say the reason people don't come downtown is because they have to pay to park – well no, according to Peter.

"If the reason to come downtown is interesting and compelling enough people will pay the money to park. People aren't not going downtown in San Francisco or Chicago or Manhattan because they have to pay parking. It's because there is really good stuff at the other end. There are rewards.”

This is a man whose job it is to be positive about cities, whose mantra is "love cities” and he will not tell us what to do with the waterfront. But what would he do with the waterfront?

He launches into a stream of positivity.

"Continue along the same lines. Coolly activate it.

"The Hairy Maclary park is brilliant – an incredibly well executed piece of public art.”

Public art should be fun and interactive and memorable and make you smile. Higher art? Well that's for a gallery maybe.

What about the dance pad – was that a good idea?

"Absolutely. As humans we are fascinated watching each other. And if we are watching people enjoying themselves that's even better. And if kids are having fun, parents are happy.”

Masonic Park could become an adult playground. We see movies but we could see more.

"Leave the kids at home and come out and have some fun. Check out ‘The Lawn on D' in Massachusetts online – a big adult-sized playground with adult-sized swings, music, yoga and events that have beer and wine.”

That's a sure-fire drawcard for the grown-ups.

The urban dynamo Peter stands for anything that encourages people to connect and interact with their downtown.

"They are the psychic and emotional centres of places. If you want a vibrant city, you have to have a vibrant downtown. It is hard to envisage a vibrancy if the heart is dead.”

Tauranga just needs to build on what it already has.