Re: 6.3 and 5.9 Earthquakes Hit Christchurch New Zealand February 22 2011 - Heavy Damage - Deaths
Ideas needed for rebuild
SAM SACHDEV
Christchurch residents are being urged to share their ideas on the future of the earthquake-hit central city.
The Christchurch City Council yesterday launched its Share an Idea campaign to encourage residents to have their say about how the city centre should look.
WHAT WILL NOT CHANGE
The central business district will not be relocated.
More than 50 per cent of buildings within the red zone are likely to have survived the earthquake and will remain in their current form.
The form and function of Hagley Park will remain the same.
The Avon River's course will not be changed.
The grid pattern of inner-city streets will remain, but there may be changes to traffic flows.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/christchurch-earthquake-2011/4973730/Ideas-needed-for-rebuild
International urban design experts to assist Christchurch
6 May 2011
Two international urban design experts arrive in Christchurch next week to work with the Christchurch City Council on developing the draft Central City Plan.
David Sim and Simon Goddard from Copenhagen-based Gehl Architects will spend the next four weeks in Christchurch working with the Council’s urban design team on the draft Plan.
David Sim, a Director of Gehl Architects, has worked with the company since 2002. The Scottish architect/urban designer has worked in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark and Germany. His recent projects include developing a masterplan for the first settlement in a Scottish National Park with 1500 dwellings; a new urban centre for a Swedish town on an existing brown fields site with new commercial and retail spaces, community facilities and public space; and completing the 2010 Edinburgh City Centre Public Space Public Life report.
Simon Goddard has consulted internationally on projects in the public and private sector. The architect/urban designer began working for Gehl Architects this year, after seven years employed in Australia.
Council Central City Plan Project Sponsor Michael Theelen says the team from Gehl Architects are best placed to assist with the development of the Plan as they had previously worked with the Council on a vision for the Central City.
“The Gehl team has a good knowledge of how our Central City looked and functioned before the earthquakes. This knowledge will be critical as we put together the Central City Plan and develop a new vision for the area.
“Much of what we need to achieve was outlined in the A City for People Action Plan, developed from the Gehl Architects Public Space Public Life Study of Christchurch’s Central City. This Plan looked at creating a Central City which celebrated its amenities, provided a wide range of activities, had attractive and inviting public spaces and human pace.”
Mr Theelen says these will all be areas which will be addressed as part of the Central City Plan, which will take a holistic approach – economic, social, cultural and environmental – to redeveloping the Central City.
City.
http://www.ccc.govt.nz/thecouncil/newsmedia/mediareleases/2011/201105062.aspx