Christchurch City Council supporting cultural diversity
Christchurch City Council, through its Social Housing unit, provides affordable accommodation for low income people from refugee and migrant backgrounds.
The latest edition of No Fixed Abode [PDF 341KB] a free directory of Christchurch accommodation and services for people without a safe, secure home, has a section on Migrant and Refugee Support.
The Council owns approximately 60 community halls, centres and cottages across the city. Community groups may hire these facilities for a wide range of activities.
Further info: Cultural diversity
Greater Christchurch Urban Development Strategy
Managing growth to maintain city quality
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- Urban sprawl is minimised.
- Our electricity, communications, sewage, water and waste water systems grow with our population.
The Greater Christchurch population continues to grow. The Draft Urban Development Strategy (the strategy) is a collaborative way to address growth pressures, and deliver resilient and sustainable community outcomes.
The strategy was initiated out of concern for the lack of collaborative leadership and coordination between councils to manage growth. However, the strategy is more than just managing growth issues. It is also about improving the quality of life for communities with a long-term outlook to 2041. It reinforces the importance of familiar planning issues, including the location of new housing, developing town and suburban centres, employment areas, and public transportation networks.
The strategy is a partnership among Environment Canterbury, Selwyn and Waimakariri District Councils, Christchurch City Council and Transit New Zealand. It relies heavily on setting specific targets to achieve urban intensification.
Greater Christchurch is expecting an increase of around 75,000 new households over the next 35 years, with two thirds of this growth within the first 20 years.
The strategy sets out the settlement pattern, key approaches and the actions required to implement the option chosen by the community. It relies on intensification through activity centres and better planned greenfield development with specific targets to achieve this urban form.
Most importantly, the strategy is taking a more collaborative approach to implementation through an integrated, multi-faceted implementation package. Implementation is through the partners' Long-term Community Plans (LTCCP), the Regional Land Transport Strategy and Resource Management Act Process.
Further information: Greater Christchurch Urban Development Strategy
Christchurch City Council’s Social Housing Strategy
Providing social housing in Christchurch
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- Our houses meet our social, cultural and economic needs.
The Christchurch City Council takes a key leadership role in the provision and facilitation of social housing in Christchurch.
The Christchurch City Council was a New Zealand social housing pioneer, building its first 16 pensioner units in Barnett Avenue in 1938. Today the Council has 2651 units at 116 complexes and is New Zealand’s second largest affordable social housing provider. Housing New Zealand is the largest social housing provider, with 5452 Christchurch units.
Ninety percent of the Council’s units are bed-sit, studio or one-bedroom units. Sixty per cent of tenants are aged 60 years or over, and 79 per cent of tenants have an income of less than $15,000 – virtually all tenants receive an income-tested benefit. Currently the Council provides 7 per cent of the City’s rental market.
To ensure that future housing provision is well managed the Council has developed a social housing strategy. Challenges that are likely to affect future social housing provision have been identified, including: an ageing population; falling home ownership; and continually increasing residential market rents. The strategy has identified seven key goals:
- Partnership: strong partnerships with key stakeholders have the potential to address issues, concerns and trends in a proactive way.
- Managing Demand: demand management should identify vulnerable groups who may require social housing at some point in their lives.
- Location: locate provision for social housing near community hubs and social services.
- Brokerage and Advocacy: the strategy recognises that the demand for social housing exceeds availability.
- Compatibility and Integration: giving priority to the compatibility and safety of Council tenants.
- Facilitation and Resourcing: Council promotes and facilitates the provision of social housing that is recognised as a high-quality, sustainable service.
- Sustainability: Council operates a social housing service that is both sustainable and affordable for tenants.
Further information: Social Housing
Accessible Christchurch
Working to make Christchurch accessible to everyone
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- Our city can be easily accessed on foot, by bus and bicycle, and by people with disabilities.
Accessible Christchurch’s vision is to enable full access and inclusion in society for disabled people. This project has been implemented by NZ Trade and Enterprise, Humanware and Canterbury University.
Their aim is to develop, commercialise, and implement innovative and market led technology based solutions to environmental challenges that restrict people's access to their communities.
A big desire is to ensure the approach taken is user driven. One of the first steps is identifying challenges that are faced by disabled people. Currently disabled people are being consulted to identify some of the things that restrict their access and how these can be addressed.
Canterbury University and in particularly UCi3 and Humanware will form the heart of the research and development component in association with selected companies from industry.A number of groups including Christchurch-based industry, research agencies, local & central government agencies will partner disabled people and community support groups to achieve this project.
The aim is for industry to take their products to the world and the city to collectively receive the benefits. Christchurch will develop a world-wide reputation for quality and product innovations that enhance access and inclusion for disabled people.
Further information:
Equity and access for people with disabilities Safer Christchurch Strategy
Crime prevention through environmental design
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- The central city remains an important destination for all people in Christchurch.
- Graffiti and vandalism decline.
The Safer Christchurch Strategy seeks to incorporate crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) principles into the practice and policy of the Christchurch City Council and make residents and the building profession aware of the actions that can be taken. CPTED recognises that opportunities for crime and levels of fear of crime can be influenced by the design of buildings and the arrangement of streets, parks and other spaces. One of the major principles of CPTED is: Natural Surveillance - "See and Be Seen." Or in other words, people are less likely to commit crime if they are, or think they are, being watched. Conversely, people also tend to feel safer if they think someone is looking out for them.
When considering community safety, neither the experience nor the threat of crime can be overlooked. Both in reality and perception, crime has negative implications for the quality of life of our residents. The use of planning and design as a means of reducing crime and fear of crime is an activity that can contribute to improving the safety of our communities.
The Strategies' objectives for CPTED are to:
- Ensure the phased adoption of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design principles into city-wide planning and policy.
- Promote CPTED principles for application by owners and occupiers of existing buildings and spaces (including Council owned facilities).
- Provide active support for locally led initiatives that make significant contributions to reducing the incidence and effect of crime.
By focusing on these priorities, we are contributing to transforming Christchurch into the safest city in New Zealand.
Significant projects that the Council is undertaking to act on these objectives can be read about at the site listed below.
Further information: Christchurch City Council crime prevention through environmental design [PDF 3.77MB]
