bg/a-new-central-city from Geospatial: the use of skills, tools and data by people in Canterbury

A New Central City

A plan known as the Christchurch Central Recovery Plan has been completed. This plan outlines the future development of central Christchurch in response to damage from the earthquakes.

One of the new developments in central Christchurch included the container mall in Cashel Street. Image: LEARNZ.

There are a number of vacant sites in the city at the moment. These sites are being transformed as gap fillers until construction of new buildings begins. Image: LEARNZ.

The blueprint plan for the central city has been developed to provide a more modern, green and accessible city. Image: CCDU.

The blueprint can be viewed online or at the Christchurch City Council. Image: LEARNZ.

The 2010 and 2011 earthquakes struck one of New Zealand’s oldest cities. The devastation was widespread, especially in the city’s centre. Around 1000 buildings in the centre of Christchurch have been, or will be demolished. This has created a huge challenge for Christchurch. It has also provided an opportunity to rethink, revitalise and renew central Christchurch.

Accurate geospatial information and GIS have helped plan the new central city.

Vision

The New Zealand Government, in partnership with Christchurch City Council and Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, is committed to making the most of the opportunity to rebuild Christchurch.

The vision is for central Christchurch to become the thriving heart of an international city. The Christchurch Central Recovery Plan (CCRP) draws on the area's natural and cultural heritage, and the skills and passion of its people. It aims to embrace opportunities for innovation and growth.

The Plan

The Christchurch Central Recovery Plan (CCRP) is based on the Christchurch City Council’s draft Central City Plan, and on over 106,000 ideas submitted by the community during the public consultation process.

The CCRP outlines the future development of central Christchurch. It incorporates a spatial Blueprint Plan developed by a professional group working with the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority's Christchurch Central Development Unit (CCDU) over a 100 day period.

It was released to the public on 30 July 2012.

An Accessible City

The CCRP aims to make Christchurch more accessible and takes into account
• future road layouts
• providing for pedestrians, cycles, public transport and private vehicles
• speed zones and streetscapes
• parking
• service vehicle requirements

Anchor Projects

There are 17 anchor projects planned for the central city. These projects aim to replace facilities that have been destroyed, encourage development, attract people back to the centre of the city and improve the urban form of the city.

The projects include:

Currently the city is in a transitional phase. This is a critical time to test new ideas, explore new concepts and look at new ways to bring people, business and investment back to the central city.

You can explore the Central City Recovery Plan document – PDF (11Mb).

Māori Keywords

Ōtautahi	Christchurch
tāone	city
kaupapa	project
whakahou	rebuild
hangarau	design

What would you like to see in central Christchurch? Come up with your own design for the city.