This is why we can't have nice things
If more malls and rural subdivisions are the answer, what was the question?
I try not to be too pessimistic about the future of Christchurch (and indeed, the planet), but there have been a couple of stories in the last couple of weeks that highlight the bleak trajectory that the region is on. First up, a new mall! That would be bad enough, but this mall is proposed for Rolleston. The malls in the suburbs have already kneecapped the CBD, but this mall in one of the satellite towns will just further solidify the car-dependent, suburban sprawl that has been the development mode of choice for the last half century.
Secondly, a new giant subdivision planned for Lincoln, with all the same issues that it brings. Car dependence, low-density housing, lack of public transport, digging up our fertile food-producing soil.
On a brighter note, an excellent piece from Oliver Lewis at the Spinoff, looking at the struggle to get mass-transit working in the city:
Nothing is certain in life except death and taxes, the saying goes. In Christchurch, the second largest city in New Zealand, you can be certain of two more things: people overwhelmingly choose to drive, and any attempt to reduce parking or price it more reasonably will be met with furious protests and political tantrums.
According to the most recent census data, 76.1% of Christchurch residents typically drive or are driven to work – more than either Auckland or Wellington. Just 4.2% take public transport, an indictment on an ailing bus system that has failed to restore patronage levels to what they were a decade ago before the earthquakes. For several years, authorities have spent less per capita on public transport than the other two main centres.
It does a great job of summing up the problems that have prevented any action to get the city moving. When I was a Labour candidate in 2014, we campaigned strongly on getting people back on to rail in the city. These policies were continued into the 2017 election; but Labour have been in charge for 4 years now, and we haven’t seen any movement on the issue. To say that it is disappointing would be an understatement. Let’s hope they can pull finger, so that the legacy of the quakes isn’t just a sprawling suburban mess, pockmarked with malls and bankrupting boondoggles like the stadium and convention centre.