Friday, January 8, 2010

Danish Urban Designer Advises Council on Revitalisation

Urban Designer Jan Gehl has prepared a report for Christchurch City Council that lays out 35 year blueprint for injecting new life into the central city. The report, to be released next month, is presumed to promote open inner-city public spaces and shift transportation away from cars to more sustainable forms of transit such as walking, cycling, and trams.
Gehl Architects produced a similar report for the City of Melbourne in 2004, which provided Melbourne City Council figures and strategy for achieving a well-rounded revitalization of Melbourne's CBD. Jan Gehl, is considered to be "the global guru" for creating livable and sustainable cities throughout Europe, the United States, and Australia.

While the initial cost of the report to council may seem high at $314,000, it should be noted that the strategy put forward, and initiatives once brought to fruition, are thought to be a means of attracting and retaining young skilled people and quality institutions to Christchurch, an thereby a sound investment for the future of the city.

Image source: Sydney Morning Herald, September 2007

1 comment:

  1. Yes, yes, yes. Bring back the old tram routes, from the city to new brighton, sumner, etc..

    Love the blog! Bout time someone did this.

    ReplyDelete