Can Christchurch be revitalised?

Can Christchurch’s vast barren demolition sites be revitalised with a new kind of lively, transitional urban design?

By Rebecca Macfie In Letter from Christchurch

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16th June, 2012

At the corner of Colombo and Wordsworth streets is a precinct of hope. It’s a small smell-of-an-oily-rag cluster of creativity and commerce that fills the space left scarred and empty after the diggers cleared a row of earthquake-damaged buildings. It faces brightly and optimistically to the street, offering a glimpse of how a better future might look. At one end, there’s the 10sq m relocatable Gap Filler head office, built by volunteers from the Sustainable Habitat Challenge with recycled materials. It rests lightly on the dodgy ground and is powered entirely by the sun. There’s a ...

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