NZ In Tranzit

NOTE; I have added an extra bit and a map to the posting "Will the REAL Garden City stand up" posted three weeks ago. The new bit is enclosed in RED worded  bits

"Auckland is about three and half times the size of greater Christchurch but appears to have received about 100 times more public transport funding towards infrastructure". Building the New Lynn trench at $160 million, now Auckland wants to build rail right under the city at $2.3  billion . A strong business case for building an underground commuter rail connection from Auckland's Britomart station to create a loop with the western line at Mount Eden has been produced by a consortium of highly experienced international transport engineering consultant firms. The line would have three inner city underground stations allowing faster, more frequent services, greatly increase the number of trains possible (Britomart with its clumsy narrow entry system is near capacity) and offer easy walking access tofro a station to virtually the whole CBD area, a huge advantage in attracting punters. The expected cost is around $2.3 billion dollars. A simple map, on this Stuff newsite r...

Thanks to the guys at Christchurch Transport Blog,  I find (contrary or additional to) my last posting Christchurch the garden city is already standing tall, well at least in some folks imagination!! I love the sheer zaniness of this suggestion but as per comment column to last posting, I'd rather see modest size buildings, good taste done well. The big statements are a young men's dreams [nowadays and a few young women's dreams] . Personally I'm into mellow time, not wasting public money, small things done well etc But love this fantastic  Gardensity   YouTube all the same.

"Drive by snap shots" (sorry bout quality) - passing damaged buildings south end of Manchester Street. This posting advocates building a village [with a distinctive garden plot] with a broad income strata and work-live units as an alternative to derelict car parking spaces and slab tilt warehouses otherwise likely. The trend - to be less trendy! And get Housing Corp and other big players on side, for some parts of the larger projects.   Briar, a Canadian born friend with an exburerant nature made this comment a few weeks back on her Facebook after cruising the inner city night life (hmmm mebbe cruisin' aint the right word here!); "I just spent a couple of hours doing an architectural/cultural tour of the lanes in the inner city. Gorgeous buildings, but whoeverthought up the idea that "Inner City Revitalisation" = boutique retail and fancy places to drink needs their priorities brought to light. What is aesthetically pleasing about drunk... pe...

Happy New Year From NZ in Tranzit and Christchurch, NZ This is not photo-shop, it is the cut-out figure of Charlie Chaplin outside Alice In Videoland, an art house and classic DVD hire shop in lower High Street. In the background nearby buildings built over 100 years ago in the Venetian gothic style, damaged in 7.1 magnitude earthquake on Sept 4th 2010 or in some of the 4,000 plus aftershocks since. Hopefully they will survive but dozens have not. The city has been hugely lucky not to suffer loss of life (lucky, plus also has rigorous building standards) but faces now horrific costs and years of complications in rebuilding a central area and (more often its margins) when the CBD was already struggling. For or those who love the city and are also worn out by months of unpredictable [in timing] after-shocks, it can be hard not to feel pensive, a bit glum, not sure about the future. The look on Charlie's face says it all. But,   Hey,  Happy New YEAR!! carry on......