OUR VISION
To establish a world-leading living laboratory in the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor (OARC) in Ōtautahi Christchurch, where we learn, experiment and research; testing and creating new ideas and ways of living for a climate-challenged city and globe.
The river corridor was declared a red zone in the wake of the Canterbury earthquakes of 2010-13 when the land subsided by up to 1.5 metres. It was subsequently abandoned for housing.
The corridor has been described as ‘the city’s field of dreams’, a blue-green space between land and water, and past and future. It is the ideal place for experimentation and discovery in a context of rapid environmental, cultural and social change.
The Ōtākaro Living Laboratory Trust coordinates these research, educational and learning opportunities.
The upper and lower parts of the Goodman St cul-de-sac in Burwood, a decade apart. Image by Iain McGregor & Alden Williams
The red zoned areas in the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor are in red; green areas are pre-existing open space. Graphic by Blackant Mapping Solutions.