The New Zealand government has revealed bold plans to reinvent the city of Christchurch, in the wake of two destructive earthquakes that destroyed many of its biggest buildings.
Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee says the blueprint for Christchurch is for a smaller, greener urban centre.
Under the plan, much of the city's open space will be carved up into separate precincts catering to health, arts and entertainment, retail and the justice and emergency centres. An L-shaped park will meet the existing banks of the Avon River on two sides, to ring the city with open space.
The plan also targets renewed tourism with a new convention centre catering for up to 2,000 people included in the blueprint.
More than 70 per cent of buildings in central Christchurch are either gone or earmarked to be demolished after suffering damage from major earthquakes in 2010 and 2011, including its flagship icon, Christ Church Cathedral.
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