Central City Strategy
The success of Christchurch is tied directly to the success of our Central City. The Centre's importance is borne out through its historical significance as the birthplace of our community, its current role as the commercial, cultural and social centre of the region and its importance in ensuring that Christchurch and Canterbury continue to grow as dynamic places to live and work.
The need to maintain a vital Central City was given voice in the late 1990's when a broad based call went out to reverse the alarming decline of the area within the Four Avenues. Recognising the important role and responsibility that the Council has for providing a vibrant Central City, a process was begun in 1999 to develop a strategic vision for the Central City and to initiate efforts aimed at its revitalisation.
The development of a strategic vision was led by the Central City Mayoral Forum which brought together Central City stakeholders representing residents, retailers, commercial tenants, developers, and the hospitality
industry to identify desired outcomes for revitalisation. In conjunction with the Mayoral Forum a wider public consultation was conducted that involved two surveys, over 30 public meetings and collectively generated over 1200 responses. On the basis of this public feedback as well as Council advice, the
following was established for the revitalisation of the Central City.
Revitalising the Heart of Our City - Stage I
The Central City Revitalisation Strategy - Stage I report outlined the Central Mayoral Forum's recommendations to the City Council in developing a strategy for Central City Revitalisation. The Stage I report also outlined some short-term priority projects recommended for the first five years.
Central City Revitalisation Project - Stage II
The Central City Revitalisation Strategy - Stage II confirms the Council’s commitment to Central City Revitalisation: a 25-year programme to reinvigorate the heart of Christchurch. Like its precursor the 'Stage I Strategy' released in 2001, this document is grounded in the belief that the success of the Central City is integral to the success of Christchurch City as a whole.
The Stage II Strategy reaffirms the vision and objectives of Central City Revitalisation while guiding our next steps towards improving the vitality and prosperity of inner Christchurch. Reflecting the diverse messages and ideas received during the initial public consultation, the document provides an update on the actions the Council will pursue to revitalise the Central City.
Although the Central City is faced with a range of challenges, we believe that the key priorities for the Central City are:
- increasing the residential population - 30,000 by 2026
- growing our business and commercial sector
- enhancing vital public spaces
- redeveloping underutilised sites, and
- improving our transport network
We will make substantial progress in overcoming the challenges facing the Central City by pursuing projects that focus on these priorities. By addressing these priorities and enhancing those features which make Christchurch enjoyable and distinctive we have the opportunity to transform our Central City into one of the Southern Hemisphere’s premier urban environments.
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Read the Central City Omnibus Report (Appendix A) that was adopted on the 7 September 2006. [PDF 115KB]
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