IT MAY take decades before the plan becomes a reality and no one is certain who will pay for it, but an ambitious blueprint to rebuild the New Zealand city of Christchurch devastated by the earthquake in February has been greeted with enthusiasm by residents.
Large swathes of the nation’s second city are still in ruins, entire suburbs have been declared uninhabitable and the region has been hit by thousands of aftershocks.
Unveiling the plan yesterday, Christchurch mayor Bob Parker offered the vision of a “safe, sustainable, green, high-tech, low-rise city in a garden”.
Dedicating the plan to the 181 people who lost their lives in the disaster, Mr Parker said: “We’ve had enough distraction to fill our hearts for generations. This piece of work is about all of us grasping our futures, believing in what we can together do.”
The plan, which involves 70 projects over the next 20 years, envisages a compact central business district dominated by low-rise buildings. There would be large new areas of public parkland, including a broad green corridor along the banks of the river Avon.
The 150-page document also emphasises environmentally sensitive transport, including a new light-rail network, pedestrian boardwalks and cycle lanes.
Among other initiatives are an indoor sports complex, upgraded hospitals and libraries and a redeveloped Cathedral Square in the heart of the city. A memorial to those who died in February’s earthquake is also proposed.
February’s 6.3 magnitude earthquake was the most severe of a string of shakes in Christchurch and its surrounding Canterbury region in the last year. More than 7,500 aftershocks have been measured since a 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit in September last year.
The plan was unanimously backed by Christchurch councillors, who sifted through more than 100,000 suggestions submitted by residents and interest groups. It now goes out for consultation before being presented formally to central government in December.
The response on social networks, where residents have often vented frustration with local and central government responses, was almost universally positive.
“The city plan is making me feel pretty good about deciding to stay in Chch,” said one resident. “Heaps to like, exciting times ahead.”
However, Matthew Carpenter, spokesman for the Canterbury Business Recovery Network, which represents 150 employers, said the council was wrong to “lay all cards on the table” in rebuilding the central city. He called for investment to be split between the city and a “satellite town”, away from the “earthquake-prone” city.
The government welcomed the draft plan, but emphasised funding was limited.
“The draft plan has a pretty big wish list. It’s now up to the people of Christchurch to debate the plan, prioritise its projects and decide how much they are prepared to pay to fund them,” said Canterbury earthquake recovery minister Gerry Brownlee in a statement. – (Guardian service)