Design Guides
These documents are PDFs. You will require the free Adobe Acrobat reader to view them. 
Alternatively order a design Guide and have it mailed out to you.
 Buying a Section
Buying a section and building a new home is for many people, the largest investment that they will make in their lifetimes. Trying to get it right the first time can be difficult, time consuming and costly.
The intention of this guide is to provide a list of things to consider and check out when purchasing a section. This should help get the most benefit from a section, whether it be as part of a home and land package, for future investment, or to design and build a home.
The guide is primarily aimed at people who are looking at purchasing a section in a new subdivision in Christchurch but the principles can equally apply to any living zone in the City.
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 Building a Garage
A key objective of the Christchurch City Plan is to encourage residents to enhance the Garden City image. Retaining existing vegetation and thoughtfully planting more vegetation are simple ways to achieve this objective, particularly in lower density residential suburban areas (known as Living 1 and 2 zones), where there is more space in front gardens.
All Living 1 and 2 zones have a requirement for buildings, including garages, to be set back at least 4.5m. In some areas, known as Special Amenity Areas (SAMs), there are extrarequirements that recognise that an area has a special character that is worth retaining. Examples of these requirements include: a greater building setback, an external appearance rule and a larger outdoor living area.
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 Creating Safer Communities
Safer Canterbury, Creating Safer Communities was prepared by the Canterbury Safer Committee; a partnership between local Canterbury Councils, Neighbourhood Support and the New Zealand Police.
This design guide is the first in a series of leaflets giving guidance to designers, property owners and occupiers and decision makers, about how to reduce crime and the fear of crime in our environment.
‘CPTED’ or Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design is a crime prevention philosophy based on proper design and effective use of the built environment. The use of CPTED is intended to reduce crime and fear of crime by reducing criminal opportunity and fostering positive social interaction among legitimate users of space.1
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 Sustainable Building Guide
The aim of this guide is to promote environmentally sustainable development and to encourage people to design new residential buildings so that they interact positively withthe various elements of their local environment.
The result should be buildings that use less energy and have less damaging environmental impacts over their whole life than equivalent buildings designed without regard to these factors.
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 Central City Design Opportunities
Designing within the urban and archetectural context of the central city.
The aim of the Design Opportunities document is to discuss the design perspective behind the planning of central Christchurch.
It is anticipated that those interested in the Central City, including those who may be considering redevelopment of a site, will be able to gain a more complete understanding of the vision for the Central City, particularly of the linkages between public and private space.
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 New Housing in Living 4 Zones
New housing in Living 4 Zones is intended to provide landowners, designers and developers with a checklist when proposing a new housing development in a Living 4 zone - a medium density residential environment in the City.
Part one of the guide looks at site selection and designing the layout of the housing development in relation to its context. Part two deals with the design of buildings while Part three considers outdoor space surrounding the buildings.
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 New Housing in Living 3 Zones
New housing in Living 3 Zones is intended to provide landowners, designers and developers with a checklist when proposing a new housing development in a Living 3 zone - a medium density residential environment in the City.
Part one of the guide looks at site selection and designing the layout of the housing development in relation to its context. Part two deals with the design of buildings while Part three considers outdoor space surrounding the buildings.
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 Large Buildings in Lower Density Living Zones
Large buildings in lower density living zones is intended to provide owners, designers and developers with a checklist of considerations when proposing a larger than average building in a lower density living zone.
Part One of the guide describes the essential physical design elements of suburban residential areas. Part Two identifies matters to be considered when proposing a large building in such an area.
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 Outdoor Advertising Guide
A simple guide to achieving the most from your outdoor advertising & signage and making sure it complies with the Christchurch City Plan and relevant Byelaws.
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1Ministry of Justice (2005). National Guidelines for Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design in New Zealand.
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