Ideas for Christchurch up for discussion.

The results of the open call for ideas are now published online, waiting for your comments and discussion.

Following the string of earthquakes which have rumbled through Canterbury for the last month, a group of incredibly motivated and committed arhitecture graduates have collaborated to produce this fantastic forum of "Ideas for Christchurch."

Link through to the forum here.

As I'm sure a lot of us were, the collaborative quickly imagined the extent of rebuilding urgently required throughout the city and neighbourhoods, and as those committed to quality spaces, buildings, environments, and objects, it is cynical, but not unreasonable to imagine poor quality developmental projects being hurried along and built to restore the city's cohesion. A critical observation made by the organisers is that the sheer extent of the possible rebuilding of Christchurch's inner city (in particular) could drastically alter the urban environment, and therefore could and should be the subject of considered, imaginative and ambitious re-thinking.

The number of submissions is impressive. There are now over fifty projects for you to consider (link through here to the Foum) online, which is testament to the importance of these issues for Christchurch, and is also indicative of the dedicated and motivated design and architecture community.

There is a great variety of ideas, some focusing on the temporary (re)use of vacant sites, offering urban reinvigoration through agricultural and parkland development, while another considers the suburb, like '50c Mix architecture', with builders and architects actively assisting Dairy restoration across Canterbury, a chance for community engagement at the corner store. On an even more domestic scale, Anna Ferguson has suggested to pool the city's broken china in order to create beautiful and invigorating mosaic's through the "bleak" Cathedral Square. A befitting gesture filled with civic remembrance, and a little chuckle.

50c Mix architecture.

A bundle of infrstructural, and artistic responses for the regeneration of Christchurch.

A number of projects see an opportunity for radical botanic experiments to enrich the city.

On a smaller scale, vacant sites become agricultural hubs.

Ambitious projects have imagined entire towers covered with vertical green-walls, or offered typological paradigm shifts, imagining Christchurch with new vertical mega-strucuctures to compliment the Canterbury Plains.

The breadth of the Ideas is incredibly rich, and representative of a type of architectural practice which I find incredibly valuable. There are infrastructural, political offerings, community-driven social suggestions, deployment of imaginative and expressive art works, reconsideration of historic conservation and preservation, and very importantly, ideas outside of the 'City'.

Enigmatically, Patricia Smith has simply reminded us, "eat an elephant slowly."
Some profound advice really, which seems to express so much about what I hope happens in Christchurch, metaphorically I hope.