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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 red zoned areas in the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor are in red; green areas are pre-existing open space. Graphic by Blackant Mapping Solutions.
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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.

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