TEACHERS’ DAY 2005

THE CHANGING SHAPE OF CHRISTCHURCH

Doug Johnston

Room 311

Ext. 7917

OBJECTIVES:

i) to examine the role transport has in influencing the

shape of expanding cities

ii) to outline non-transport factors that also affect the

shape of expanding cities

iii) to examine these ideas in the context of Christchurch

as a case study

1. CHANGING URBAN TRANSPORT TECHNOLOGY

i) Walking [horse]; FOOT city;

ii) horse bus; horse tram; ¦ ¦iii) early railways; ¦ TRACKED city; ¦iv) electric trams; bus services; ¦

v) [bicycle] private car; motorcycle; RUBBER city;

1. CHANGING URBAN TRANSPORT TECHNOLOGY II

Changes in transport technology:

=> higher travel speeds / shorter travel time;

(some) => greater spatial flexibility;

(some) => greater temporal flexibility;

1. CHANGING URBAN TRANSPORT TECHNOLOGY III

BUT: - changes did not occur abruptly (modes oftenco-existed for a long time);

- changes did not occur simultaneously throughoutthe city;

- improved transport technology did not necessarilymean cheaper transport costs;

- assumption of ongoing population growth;

HOWEVER: we can identify distinct phases of urban change in

relation to particular types of modes

Schematic relationshipbetween urban form and transport (Daniels and Warnes, 1980, p 3)

1. Pedestrian city2. Horse bus&tramways3. Early railway4. Later rail and bus5. Car & other private

a) Foot City / Pedestrian City:

- relatively small area, densely built up;

- little spatial segregation :

- all land-uses together;

- people live at / near work-place;

(ala Asian “shop-house”)

- everything within walking distance;

- only elites had private transport (horse-drawn)

b) Hansom cab / Horse bus / Horse tram

- first forms of urban public passenger transport

BUT: - relatively expensive;

- cheaper than private transport;

=> elites able to move away from congested centre;

= first real separation of residence and place of work;

- expanded areal extent of city but still essentially circular (?)

Hansom cabs at Christchurch Railway Station, 1880s

(Alexander, 1983, p 10)

Horse tram on the Sydenham line, Christchurch

(Alexander, 1985, p 27)

c) Early railways / steam trams:

- allowed urban expansion along distinct corridors

defined by rail tracks;

+ able to commute to CBD from nearby settlements;

=> - commercial development around stations;

+ residential areas within walking distance of stations;

Steam tram in Cathedral Square, Christchurch (1893-1905)

(Alexander, 1985, p 2)

d) Electric tram / Motor bus

- provided higher capacity per vehicle;

- shorter distance between stops;

=> continuous development along corridors

+ buses - independent of special “tracks”

=> feeder services to railway stations;

+ routes between railway lines;

=> residential “in-filling” between rail corridors

Christchurch’s first motor bus, 1904

(Dew, 1996, p 8)

Electric tram and trailers in Christchurch, 1922

(Alexander, 1986, p 52)

Buses in Cathedral Square, Christchurch, 1936

(Dew, 1996, p 17)

e) Private car (and motorcycle)

=> completed in-filling between rail / bus corridors;

+ further outward expansion;

back to “circular city”

3. CASE STUDY: CHRISTCHURCH I

a) foot city: 1866 - compact central settlement;

+ outlying villages;

- horse transport (but only for well off);

b) Christchurch had railway from 1863:

- but not of major importance for daily travel:

- season tickets at Kaiapoi, Woolston, Heathcote

=> 250 people per day!

(Douglass, 2000, p 2)

Christchurch

1886

3. CASE STUDY: CHRISTCHURCH II

c) steam / horse trams from 1881, electric from 1905- low fares => almost universally available;=> radial expansion of city along main lines

linking pre-existing villages=> suburbanisation along Ferry, Papanui,

Riccarton, Lincoln & Colombo roads

Tramlines of the steam and horse tram era 1880-1905

(Alexander, 1985, centrefold)

Christchurch Tramway Board’s operations in the 1920s

(Alexander, 1986, centrefold)

3. CASE STUDY: CHRISTCHURCH III

d) motor buses added to system from 1904:- in theory, more flexible than trams:- in practice: took over same network plus

added extra radial spokes=> in-filling between original “corridors”;+ few non-radial routes (i.e. strong focus on CBD)

(Douglass, 2000, p 2)

Christchurch

1926

3. CASE STUDY: CHRISTCHURCH IV

e) Private motor vehicle:

- rapid increase in numbers of vehicles and “availability”per person;

=> significant extension of urban area by 1966;

- not circular but identifiable “obstacles”:- Travis Swamp and the Estuary;- Wigram Airfield;- Harewood Airport;- urban fence;

(Douglass, 2000, p 2)

Christchurch

1976

3. CASE STUDY: CHRISTCHURCH V

f) Expansion continued:

- within urban area;

- extensions: - Halswell;- West Melton;- Kaiapoi;

PLUS - in recent years => “life-style blocks”

- “counter-urbanisation”

- “urban people in rural areas”

(Douglass, 2000, p 2)

Christchurch

1996

3. CASE STUDY: CHRISTCHURCH VI

BUT NOTE:

- transport improvement does not CAUSE expansion

- makes expansion possible via reduced travel time;

- can travel further in “acceptable” time;

OTHER FACTORS affect whether “opportunity” taken up

4. OTHER FACTORS AFFECTING EXPANSION OF CITIES

i) Working hours:

- in old European cities (ala Charles Dickens) worked

10-12 hour days; emphasised need to live close-by;

- NZ => 40 hour, 5-day week from 1936;

- as working day became shorter (custom / law)

=> more time “available” for travel to work;

ii) Income levels relative to transport costs:

- as incomes increased => able to afford public transport

and live more than walking distance from work;

4. OTHER FACTORS AFFECTING EXPANSION OF CITIES

iii) land available for housing influences:- ability to expand;- direction(s) of expansion;- relative cost of land/building;

- affected by: - physical factors (slope, drainage, soil, view, aspect);- cultural factors (ownership, subdivision rules etc);- actions of developers;

+ Christchurch expansion => policies to curb “sprawl”- “urban fence”- minimum subdivision size;- satellite towns (e.g. Rolleston)

4. OTHER FACTORS AFFECTING EXPANSION OF CITIES

iv) availability of housing finance:- New Zealand introduced policies to provide relatively easy

access to housing loans;=> encouraged / allowed transition from rental to owned=> lower density housing and greater spread;

v) Acceptability of “high-density” living:- in-fill housing - “high-rise” apartments

5. OVERVIEW

Transport technology CAN influence the expansion / shape of a city:

- compact pedestrian city- “star” shaped “tracked” city- circular “rubber” city

BUT other factors are also involved:

i) Working hours:ii) Income levels relative to transport costs:iii) Land available for housing influences:iv) Availability of housing finance:v) Acceptability of “high-density” living:

AND: as city expands it changes in structure

(Douglass, 2000, p 5)

CHRISTCHURCH: POPULATION AND PUBLIC TRANSPORT

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Pop*100 Passengers

6. THE CASE OF CHRISTCHURCH I -Decentralization of employment:

Percent of EmploymentYear in Central Business District

1959 (55 approx.)

1971 42.5

1986 33.3

1991 30.2

1996 25.0

2001 26.3

(Regional Planning Authority and Census data)

CENTRAL CHRISTCHURCH: POPULATION TRENDS

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1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

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Avon Loop

Cathedral Sq

Hagley Park

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