How would you rebuild Christchurch?

[Woodman]

Surely ths CBD will just be where everyone decides to operate. Do they need to plan a CBD at all? Is their any advantage to keeping it where it is? or is it just sentimentality?
Maybe let the market decide and let the CBD just develop somewhere naturally so to speak.

[Winston001]

A planned central city rebuild eh. I have one word for you: Canberra.

[Winston001]

You are correct, the bitching and moaning has already started, and will go on for years. Then eventually the minority with vested interests will get their way, and live will carry on no better than before.

How do you mean?

[Maha]

Thought the question would be 'where' not how....

[Smifffy]

A planned central city rebuild eh. I have one word for you: Canberra.

Or the socialist ministry of works towns that popped up in the 60's and 70's.

Turangi/Twizel anyone?

[Smifffy]

Surely ths CBD will just be where everyone decides to operate. Do they need to plan a CBD at all? Is their any advantage to keeping it where it is? or is it just sentimentality?
Maybe let the market decide and let the CBD just develop somewhere naturally so to speak.

Pretty much how every human settlement has evolved until now.

[mashman]

Pretty much how every human settlement has evolved until now.

Perhaps it's time for a change then? Maybe a planned hyper modern CBD, pinnacle of human design, technology and engineering would be an ideal for that thing they call the future. I understand that would involve planning, but they're gonna be planning anyway, why not do it properly and start from scratch. Then look for somewhere to build it... or build a CBD around a race circuit ...

what was I thinking getting all carried away with dreams of the impossible , carry on...

[Grumph]

Lot of potential street circuits becoming available now....

Nice clear roads with no buildings alongside - a riverside circuit at Bexley would be quite feasible - even a Motard section ready built....

[jim.cox]

A planned central city rebuild eh. I have one word for you: Canberra.

or Paris

or Moscow

[Headbanger]

A planned central city rebuild eh. I have one word for you: Canberra.

Wasn't Christchurch originally built to a plan?

[AllanB]

Wasn't Christchurch originally built to a plan?

Yep. Drain the swamps then build on it.


Actually the grid layout and four avenues were all planned - can't recall who involved or what English city it was based upon.

Decades back there was a city law stating that buildings in CHCH could not exceed the height of the cathedral - in hindsight that may have been a good plan!

Look - in reality it would be nice to plan it all out - run footpaths with removable covers to lay hi-tech lines easily instead of chopping up roads, building plans etc - but it will be the usual bum fight. Plus economically I believe the existing CBD real estate will have dropped so much in value that land owners will not want to build back there for years as the rent will need to be so low to attract business that it may not be viable. Plus many businesses that have relocated have signed up 3 -6 year leases out of the CBD - they won't be back for years if at all.

[oldrider]

Or the socialist ministry of works towns that popped up in the 60's and 70's.

Turangi/Twizel anyone?

Add in Otematata, Managakino, Manapouri and hey presto a whole socialist country in the making!

But wait, in fairness to socialism (which I loath) those towns were all supposed to have only had a life equal to the project involved!

Socialist minded people who could not let them go as planned, "demanded" their retention as a perk for themselves and their socialist brethren to capitalise upon I.E. something for reatively nothing!

Once they got their wish they converted themselves into the worst type of greedy capitalist and resold them for exorbitantly high profits!

Just check out the prices of real estate in these towns today!

The biggest problem facing Christchurch rebuild is that old Auckland chestnut "indecision".

Everything gets planned and re-planned but nothing ever seems to get done!

They say a camel is a horse designed by a committee so watch this space for the emergence of a Christchurch camel!

[Grumph]

[QUOTE=AllanB;1130039063]Yep. Drain the swamps then build on it.


Actually the grid layout and four avenues were all planned - can't recall who involved or what English city it was based upon.

I don't think it was based on any particular model - it was laid out by a distant relative/ancestor of mine whose reputation has come down through the family as an unimaginative engineer who probably owned the only T square in the colony....

[Winston001]

Actually the grid layout and four avenues were all planned - can't recall who involved or what English city it was based upon.

I don't think it was based on any particular model - it was laid out by a distant relative/ancestor of mine whose reputation has come down through the family as an unimaginative engineer who probably owned the only T square in the colony....

A lot of the early surveying in NZ was transferred to deed plans (survey plans) back in England by draughtsmen who'd never seen the land. Which is why today there are still plans and titles with roads going straight over cliffs.

Similarly, early towns and villages were mapped out by absent surveyors with no regard to the actual topography.

Not that there is anything wrong with Christchurch's layout. I like it.

[mashman]

Hope you're all doing well down there.

An idea for Christchurch? Too hard basket? shit idea?

Take something like this? http://openbuildings.com/buildings/r...-profile-19971... lower and longer to maximise floor space. Build it as a gym/sports centre (just an example, but somethig simple and functional?), somewhere to exercise (maybe not what Christchurch needs, but something that will be built as part of the rebuild anyway? why not start with it, set the tone perhaps?). Have the gym machines, rowers, cycles, cross-trainers etc... hook up to a unit above/next to the machines, that power the light source above them. The light is only on when someone is on the machine, and during the day you can turn that feed off and divert the energy that is generated. The faster the machine goes, the brighter the light becomes... or you take the excess electrical energy and store it, capacitors, batteries, fly wheel, dunno... every little helps but the power generated will go towards running the centre, in conjunction with the below.

Erect one of these http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/26/m...rmal-windmill/... I believe the expense would be worth it considering the potential power output? Use it for powering local industry perhaps? (the power outage may seem OTT, but you could power the future of Christchurch if those numbers are correct... a nice "cheap" "alternative").

Line the spine of the building with Photovoltaic Panels. Maybe erect a decent sized power generation windmill above the car park. Both used to power the centre. Excess energy sold back to the grid, or to power an annexed building.

$100,000,000?... money well spent? (That's $50 per working person, for 1 year, under 14 cents per day)

As part of the building plans/design you could annex a business centre? Council Offices? private sector maybe, dunno? Phase II? it could all get a little grand from there on in ... it just needs a group of people with the resources to cost it and get it moving. The Greens perhaps? .

Who makes glass in Christchurch? Anyway, build/upgrade a plant and create some skilled jobs? We're gonna need glass to rebuild Chch anyway. May as well have your own state of the art "factory" down there.

I'm sure there would be challenges, but it doesn't need to be complicated (a glass building with power sockets and a lighting rig ). Every single piece of technology required to build it exists today. (could also be used as an emergency centre should it be required, and still standing)

It's just an idea. Feel free to larf heartily. Equally, feel free to give the idea to anyone that may be keen to enhance the idea. I give a shit not. It's up to you