A vision for the future of Christchurch and Canterbury is necessary for the successful

rebuilding of the city after the 22 February earthquake. A vision provides an

overarching concept for the city and will be produced from a mixture of input from
stakeholders, communities, residents and informed by analysis, research and
consultation from and by local, national and international professional sources.
The vision will then be used to direct planning and produce opportunities and
development for the rebuilding of a vibrant, livable city.
REBUILDING
CHRISTCHURCH:
THE VITAL ROLE OF VISION
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WHY DO WE NEED A VISION?
A vision is necessary to engage people and to create excitement and a commitment
to the Christchurch of the future. Many people have lost condence in the integrity of
the city and its physical fabric, which a vision will work to restore. A vision will help to
retain current citizens and businesses, draw back those who have ed and will attract
new people to visit, live and work in the region. A dynamic, visionary city will attract
business and commercial activity to Christchurch and restore its viability.
We can seize this moment as an opportunity to develop Christchurch as a safe,
vibrant and livable city and an international exemplar for post-disaster rebuilding.
This can only happen if we base the rebuild on a vision for the city. A rebuild without
a vision is likely to result in a bland and mediocre city with fewer attractions for
economic, social and cultural activity. A rebuild lead by a vision will put us on an
open-ended path to creating a better city than we had before 22 February 2011.
WHERE ARE WE NOW?
Christchurch itself is at risk. Depopulation, capital ight and business collapse are
very real concerns for the city. The scale of the destruction after the earthquake is
such that we must think carefully about how best to rebuild Christchurch.
While we do face certain risks, this rare event also offers a unique opportunity. We
can create a dynamic city from the dust and destruction. Todays decisions will shape
the future of the city for decades to come. These decisions should not be purely
reactionary; they should be vision-led.
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WHAT DO WE MEAN BY A VISION?
The vision will encompass the whole city and the citys place in the wider region of
Canterbury and the South Island. It is inclusive of all development and rebuilding
in all sectors. A vision is made up of ideas and directions that galvanise and inspire
all those involved in and affected by the rebuilding of the city. Composed of a set of
guiding principles, values, practicable tools and exciting goals, it will provide a broad
concept to direct the future of Christchurchs physical fabric.

WHERE DOES THE VISION COME FROM?
The vision will rise from the concerns, ideas and ideals of the people who live, work,
invest in and use the city. The process of crafting the vision should be open yet swift.
The citys stakeholders will have the opportunity to voice their concerns and ideas,
as will interest groups, communities and individuals. These views will be used to
generate the vision. A vision for rebuilding the city should have a broad mandate as
this is crucial to maintaining a sense of belonging and creating hope and energy for
the future. Recognised analogue and digital mechanisms can be used to allow this
process of gathering, in an effective and timely manner. (A streamlined version of the
Before/After process provides a possible model.)
Forming a vision will involve analysing what pillars of our city remain and should be
preserved or restored and asking what kind of city do we want to be, what values are
important and what principles do we want to uphold and build on.
Creating and realising a vision demands that we determine, develop and proceed
with best practice through all stages, including the development of the vision itself.
This will entail research and consultation with local, national and international sources
and undertaking an analysis of the city.
Forming and realising the vision requires a short yet intense time of consultation and
debate, then a period of translating the vision into a usable form. To do so requires
a moratorium on new consents for permanent buildings, excluding the repair of
damaged buildings and consents for temporary structures. The moratorium will
be balanced by a concurrent focus on facilitating and creating exciting, usable
temporary solutions for businesses and residents, as well as the repair and restoration
of damaged building stock. Another working paper with proposals for mechanisms
necessary to realising the vision has also been drafted and is attached.

Rebuilding Christchurch will require signicant investment of money and resources,
from public and private sources and we should be condent that we are achieving the
best possible outcomes. This is an opportunity for New Zealand to learn and to lead.
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REALISING A VISION FOR CHRISTCHURCH
A vision for the future of Christchurch and Canterbury is necessary for the successful
rebuilding of the city after the 22 February earthquake. A vision provides an
overarching concept for the city and will be produced from a mixture of input from
stakeholders, communities, residents and informed by analysis, research and
consultation from and by local, national and international professional sources.
The vision will then be used to direct planning and produce opportunities and
development for the rebuilding of a vibrant, livable city.
A vision for Christchurch should be formed and implemented outside of direct political
inuence. It is forecast that the rebuild will take more than a decade to realise and the
city of Christchurch must endure for generations to come. By contrast, the political
cycle lasts for three years.
Developing and implementing the vision will employ a variety of mechanisms.
MORATORIUM ON NEW BUILDING CONSENTS
A moratorium on new consents for permanent buildings should be imposed for
a period of six months. This would exclude consents for repairs to damaged
buildings and for building temporary structures. The idea of a moratorium on new
building after a natural disaster of this scale in an urban centre is not new, similar
moratoriums were imposed in Napier, 1931 and Kobe, Japan, 1995.
The moratorium is necessary for the following reasons:

Allows time to develop the vision for the city
Allows time for thorough geo-technical analysis of the city which permit
condent decision making on where and how to rebuild
Allows time for the results of the Royal Commission interim report to be
considered and applied to current building science
Allows time for considered design of high quality architecture, infrastructure,
public space and all other requirements of a city.
Helps to prevent permanent ight of business and development from the CBD
and other affected community hubs.
This would include a moratorium on applications to permanently extend suburban
shopping malls, business parks and other commercial accommodation. Some
thought will need to be given to preventing development ight to neighbouring
Territorial Authorities and it may be necessary to create a memorandum of
understanding across the region.
The following is a working paper proposing some of the requirements and
mechanisms necessary for realising a vision for Christchurch.
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AN IMMEDIATE EMPHASIS ON TEMPORARY SOLUTIONS, REPAIR AND
RESTORATION
To meet immediate needs displaced businesses and property owners should be
encouraged and supported to pursue quick-build, exciting temporary solutions and
to undertake the repair and restoration of partially damaged buildings. This in itself
provides an opportunity for stimulating architectural design. The moratorium would
not affect these projects or the restoration and strengthening of heritage and other
damaged buildings.

TRANSLATING THE VISION INTO A USABLE FORM
To achieve the vision and become an international exemplar for rebuilding we cannot
rely on the tools and mechanisms for planning and development that we have relied
on to date. The vision will assist to dene the parameters of a fresh, new plan for the
rebuilding and development of Christchurch and to which the city plan should be
subordinated.
Translating a broad vision into a usable form will require both research and
consultation from local, national and international sources as well as a good analysis
of the citys current and potential state. Building a visionary city requires the best
expertise available, including: environmental planners, engineers, urban designers,
architects, landscape urbanists and architects, heritage experts and business
leaders.
The plan will address all facets of development across the city, with a particular focus
on areas that require signicant rebuilding, specically the CBD and affected suburbs.
As a city is composed of interacting parts, the development of undamaged areas
will also be included. A combination of incentives and restrictions may be necessary
to encourage and support economic activity in the areas that require rebuilding.
The plan will address transport links and the provision of other infrastructure, public
space, schools and other community based amenities. The existing decision-making
processes under the Resource Management Act which entail convoluted hearings
and appeals must be circumvented in favour of a streamlined yet robust programme.
Broad condence in the programme will be achieved by commitment to the mandated
vision, transparency and excellent communication and leadership.
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AUTHORS:
Jessica Halliday, Architectural Historian
Andrew Just, Architecture Graduate
Kerry Mulligan, Engineering Graduate
Kristina Pickford, Architectural Historian
Jessica: halliday.jessica@gmail.com
Andrew: andrew@valhalla.net.nz
Kerry: kerry.jane.mulligan@gmail.com
Kristina: nzecofur@clear.net.nz
PUBLIC-PRIVATE COLLABORATION AND CONFLICTS
Collaboration, co-ordination and cohesion will provide opportunities for public and
private property owners alike to establish economies of scale in rebuilding. It is
likely, however, that some of the initiatives may encroach on the traditional rights
of private owners. The city should not shrink from this possibility. A combination
of incentives such as land swaps or relief from development levies or rates
should be offered to avoid disenfranchisement. If there is no viable alternative,
the implementation of the vision may not be possible without public ownership
of critical land parcels. The Public Works Act is the obvious mechanism for
acquisition of land but processes for acquisition and valuation would need to be
streamlined.
While the city, its businesses, inhabitants and physical fabric have suffered a
signicant loss unprecedented in this country this current situation provides
Christchurch with an opportunity to move forward with unity of purpose.