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Research Papers, Lincoln University

An often overlooked aspect of urban housing development is the composition of the space between buildings; the streetscape. The pressures of suppressing suburban sprawl have seen housing developments respond by increasing residential density within more centralised city sites. Medium-density housing typologies are often used as urban infill in response to the challenge of accommodating an increasing population. A by-product of these renewed areas is the creation of new open space which serves as the fundamental public space for sociability to develop in communities. Street space should emphasise this public expression by encouraging social exchange and interaction. As a result, a neighbourhood owes its liveliness (or lack thereof) to its streets. The issue of density when applied to the urban housing landscape encompasses two major components: the occupancy of both the private realms, constituting the residential built form, and the public spaces that adjoins them, the streets. STREETSCAPE: dialogues of street + house. Continual transition between the realms of public and private (building and street space) enact active edges, giving way to public stimulation; the opportunity for experiencing other people. The advent of seeing and hearing other people in connection with daily comings and goings encourages social events to evolve, enhancing the notion of neighbourly conduct. Within New Zealand, and specifically in Christchurch as considered here, the compositions of current streetscapes lack the demeanor to really encourage and facilitate the idea of neighbourly interaction and public expression. Here lies the potential for new street design to significantly heighten the interplay of human activity. In response, this research project operates under the notion that the street spaces of urban residential areas are largely underutilised. This lack is particularly evident in the street. Street design should strive to produce spaces which stimulate the public life of residents. There exists a need to reassert eminence of the street as a space for vibrant neighbourhood life. This thesis employs design as a tool for researching and will involve using numerous concept generators to trigger the production of multiple scenarios. These scenarios are to explore the ways in which the streetscapes within medium-density urban communities could respond in the event of (re) development.

Images, eqnz.chch.2010

Blossom coming out by the Worcester Street bridge. File reference: CCL-2011-08-12-CanterburyPublic Library pre-demolition-041 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Samo Coffee Lounge signs decorate the front of The Loons Circus Theatre Company building on Canterbury Street in Lyttelton. The facade of the building is propped up by a timber frame and concrete blocks. Samo Coffee Lounge was run inside the Loons building by a group of former Lyttelton Coffee Company staff.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the earthquake damage to the former Canterbury Public Library on the corner of Hereford Street and Cambridge Terrace. The bricks in the corner of the building have crumbled and masonry can be seen on the footpath below. Wire fences have been placed around the building as a cordon.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of emergency management personnel standing outside the Canterbury Trade Union Centre on Armagh Street. Emergency tape has been draped around the outside of the building and USAR codes have been spray-painted on a column near the entrance. Behind the building are several other earthquake-damaged buildings.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Damage to the Royal Hotel on the corner of Norwich Quay and Canterbury Street in Lyttelton. The columns next to the windows have cracked, indicating that there is major structural damage to the building. Wire fencing and cones have been used to create a cordon around the building.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of a car on Gloucester Street which has been crushed by falling bricks from the Canterbury Times and Star building. There is a pile of bricks on the front of the car. A USAR team have spray-painted codes on a plywood board and wedged it into the back of the car.