New housing developments are proliferating in Selwyn
District. Concerns have been voiced that not enough attention is being paid to
how these new neighbourhoods and towns are designed.
Why is this important? The design of a new township or
subdivision has long-term impacts on the people who live there. If roading, footpaths,
walkways, reserves, recreation areas, business
and community facilities, street lighting, fence heights, etc. are not
well-designed at the outset, community well-being will suffer - perhaps through
increased road accidents, or increased crime, or increased difficulty in
accessing services or maybe just the increased boredom and despair of being
trapped in a neighbourhood that offers little and is hard to sell out of.
Fortunately, none of this applies to Selwyn District - yet.
But prevention is far better than cure. That's why Selwyn District Council decided on 22 June 2005 to
set up an urban design working party that will make recommendations on how to
ensure high standards of urban design in our new subdivisions.
In early 2006, public
submissions were invited on a draft report and
recommendations.
