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Thread ID: 122800	2012-01-13 06:41:00	Christchurch rebuild.	Cicero (40)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1253910	2012-01-13 06:41:00	DOMPOST COLUMNS FOR 2012 Acknowledgements: Bruce McFadgen, Bruce Marshall, Ricardo Palma, Column 547 . Rebuild ChCh Monday 2 January 2012 Ten thousand people were killed outright in the earthquake that devastated the Portuguese capital Lisbon in 1755 . A tsunami and fire followed the quake so many more died later of their injuries . Most of the 20 000 houses in Lisbon were flattened . The King of Portugal appointed the Marquis of Pombal to lead the recovery . ‘A new city rose on the ruins of the old one, its narrow streets and tightly packed vulnerable buildings were replaced by wide boulevards and buildings designed to withstand future shocks . Portugal was modernised commercially, economically and politically . . . left the Middle Ages and entered the Age of Enlightenment . ’ writes Dr Bruce McFadgen, in this month’s Journal of the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors . This month also saw Mario Polese, Professor of Urbanisation Culture in Montreal, Canada, advising town planners and politicians what to avoid in rebuilding devastated cities . He has studied attempts to resuscitate collapsed or dying cities throughout the US and finds many town planners and politicians have been victims of crazy grand theories and fads that have lead them astray . He found town planners were victims of growth poles, multipliers, mathematical modelling, bike paths, tax incentives, giant input-output diagrams of city’s or regional economies, setting up hi-tech industrial parks, developing ‘clusters’ of say health, or fashion, multimedia or aerospace industries, but few of these grand plans have come to anything . The latest fad, branding, is supposed to attract business but the professor’s researches show that branding cities is a waste of money . Another urban guru, Richard Florida, argues that cities should plan diverse, bohemian, cosmopolitan, neighbourhoods with lively street scenes as they will draw in an economically desirable ‘creative class’ who will promote economic wealth . But professor Polese says Florida has it back to front and it is only the wealthy cites that attract the creative cafe latte classes . He says it’s hard to prove that public investment in the arts promote economic growth . Another commentator suggests Christchurch might look to hurricane-devastated New Orleans as its model . No government, state or civic money was forthcoming for the ruined city so locals were left to their own devices and have re-invigorated the place in ways people have never thought of before . They set up an ‘Ideas Village Incubator’ with 1100 local entrepreneurs and a ‘Receivables Exchange’ which the New York Stock Exchange has bought into and which has generated $17 trillion of business . Professor Polese thinks city fathers and town planners should avoid fads and quick fixes . Their role is to keep the streets safe, provide vital infrastructure and leave entrepreneurs to do their stuff with as few impediments as possible . Surveyor and historian McFadgen points out that both Lisbon and Christchurch are built on the edge of unstable tectonic plates and will always be liable to quakes and hopes that more science will go into the rebuilding of Christchurch than went into its earlier planning . Confrontations between Christchurch town planners and Christchurch entrepreneurs should provide lively spectator sport over the next year or two . 504 words	Cicero (40)
1253911	2012-01-13 07:00:00	Wonder how much credence is being given to the leaders of Seismic rebuild systems www.bloomberg.com	Lawrence (2987)
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