The City and its Maker

In the past decade, the redevelopment of Christchurch’s CBD has significantly reshaped the city’s visual identity, yet current zoning regulations have resulted in the separation of commercial, residential, and industrial developments. This designation of land has led to a rise in homogeneous urban spaces, where architecture is constrained to serve a singular basic function. As a result, the city fails to utilise its potential to develop spaces that promote the local community. This thesis looks to re-invigorate urban life in post-earthquake Christchurch by way of strategies against urban separation and in support of the local economy. Before individual motorised traffic, main urban functions like dwelling, production and fabrication were spatially closer connected if not interwoven. This project aims to create a new form of interweave on a building or precinct scale. This will take a research through design approach, using literature, case studies, and quantitative analysis to provide applicable solutions to establishing an urban architecture. Learnings will then be translated into five proposed urban design strategies, which will be critically reviewed and analysed to further the research process. The primary focus throughout the design is to analyse the role of urban-based manufacturing in Christchurch, seeking to identify what works in supporting a resilient and innovative industrial base. This seeks to break down the barriers created by current zoning regulations, shifting away from standardized commercial development to focus on the promotion of local businesses and manufacturers. The city can offer its users a range of options for trade, stimulating learning and research that is relevant to its community. This work hopes to contribute new ideas that challenge the current state of Christchurch’s inner-city design, sparking new conversations and solutions for its future development.