A UNIVERSITY PRECINCT FOR CHRISTCHURCH CITY

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27150, 21 September 1953, Page 8

A UNIVERSITY PRECINCT FOR CHRISTCHURCH CITY

CANTERBURY COLLEGE

[Specially written jar “The Press" bp

Dr.

GEORGE JOBBERNS.

Profen*

Geography, Canterbury University College.)

On such things as the development of the English countryside, the orderly planning of the English village, and the remaking of old English towns tojneet the neecG of living in new tunes, none seems to spe%k with greater authority than Dr. Thomas Sharp. Nurtured in the blighted mining countryside ot Durham, he wrote prolifically on town and country , planning in the 1930 s. Associated with/ Sir William Holford (planning consultant for Liverpool U n '“ versity) in war-time technical research, he has since made for himself a special reputation as planning consultant for such picturesque old towns as Chichester, Exeter, and Oxford. It is his attractively written ana beautifully produced book, * Oxford Replanned” (published for the Oxford City Council by the Architectural Press, London), that has some topical interest for us in Christchurch. In it he gives a moving account of the ancient seat of learning with one of the world’s noblest assemblages of ' beautiful buildings congested and contained by all that is new and ugly in a rapidly growing and crazily sprawling industrial city. The university itself seems pathetically incapable of giving the city any lead towards solution of its problems; it has even talked of escape to the great new open country estate of Wytham, which has come into its hands. On this, Sharp has this pungent comment to make:

‘‘Living and Learning” “Here, of course, everything depends on whether the idea of gradually moving out large parts (ana perhaps even the whole) of the university to Wytham, which was at one time much discussed, is likely to be proceeded with. But since, in the absence of any declared policy, something must be assumed, the most likely assumption is that this will not happen.. “A removal of this kind would almost certainly be fatal to that special kind of education which Oxford boasts of providing—an education in living as well as in learning. For the city of Oxford is as much a means of this education as the University of Oxford; and a removal of university buildings to a hillside beyond the city, however beautiful that hillside may be, would produoe a university as suburban as Birmingham’s. It may reasonably be assumed, then, that the main university buildings and colleges will remain in the centre of the city.” Rirminghaan—Classic Example Notice the reference to Birmingham. We have heard about Birmingham as the university that moved to the suburbs; but those who have urged us to follow its example have not told us so much of how the move, begun in 1904, is not yet nesu* completion and has grievously split'the teaching institution for nearly half a century. To the modern expert in civic design for university cities, Birmingham seems rather to provide the classic example of what not to do. Then we have the interesting case of Edinburgh University which, some time in the 1930’5, seems to have taken a decision to move out bodily to the urban fringe. Indeed, part of the move was actually made when the new city development plan showed the governors that their university was an integral part of the inner city which could never be the same without it. So they seem to have realised and readily admitted that a big mistake had been made, and reversed their policy in the 1940’5. Now the City Corporation has defined and declared a university precinct in the centre of the city around George square. The city was cagey about it at first, for George - square was enclosed on three sides by a unique (if somewhat stodgy) assemblage of eighteenth century buildings of which many citizens were proud. So while it was readily enough agreed that one side of the square, already blighted, could go to make way for the medical school, it took further discussion between the University and the , city to get the whole of the square regarded as an appropriate centre for the future development of a univeri sity precinct. The city insists on having (at its own expense) a competent architect to supervise the general l character of the building assemblage . and to ensure the preservation of as [ much as possible of the eighteenth cen- • tury facade. I It is of something more than passing s interest to note that Dunedin, our I “Edinburgh of the South,” has been

busily and quietly making a univ sity precinct by acquiring the SSJ ties immediately around it as the?? come available. It may even this is where the Mother Citv? the idea. But certain it is that nJ edin would never have thought taking the university out of « centre of the city; the interests of J and university are so clearly be one and indivisible. The use of the term precinct in fe sense is interesting. Soane of ui ably think of it as a New yj police district, or as a shadowy area where our own police pick ! people after licensed hours. Sir Aih Tripp, himself a Commissioner Police, seems first to have used « term as defining an area surroun* by traffic routes, he being nrofeSr ally concerned with traffic Sir Patrick Abercrombie came to? it freely in his urban studies to & cribe any sort of area that was so& thing special or distinctive wn itself. So its modern application hy h town-planning fraternity to an w made distinctive by its conUdlto university seems singularly apwoi ate. It is obvious enough, too, i the only authority that can fornm make the precinct is the City cj poration; what is mainly involved a special sort of zoning of an » and the dedication of it to rs special form of use and to that oij Fortunate Christchurch Here in Christchurch we are fa tunate beyond our deserts. FnrU by the river and Victoria street, i have an Avon river precinct made for us to declare and develt if only the community can havet vision to see anything of its limits possibilities as an area dedicated! living and learning. It contaim i ready all that we could reaioifal describe as a harmonious asseabk of buildings—along the river fronti facing Victoria square, and tbe Rolleston avenue and Worcester ttn Almost all of these were built I the founding fathers as the lit piece of England they brought to t colonial wilderness; put as a pta we have long since ceased to to any feeling for them.’ I think I my generation in Christchurch never had any real sense of tow scape; I would doubt if 1 per co them has ever been inside old Provincial Council Chambers,! would be sure that no more t this would see anything incongrtw i in the assemblage of things we tav let grow up immediately opposite fa i. architectural gem. It can be no uieft consolation to us to know that tt university citv of Oxford has h even worse than ours over the ! : 50 years or so, as it has been inva by the Morris motor works and evei t thing incidental thereto. i In our New Zealand towns i i seem never to have developed a; thing like the extensive stnd - squares, and terraces of harmontoto : assembled buildings that once gv i such dignity, grace, and character ! the English cities. Perhaps it is b : cause we never had enlighten ' hereditary ground landlords suck • the Dukes of Bedford or Westminto i and not having these, we can or i look to the community at large > control what it would have in its d ’ But the community must know wl i it wants. i In a precinct such as that for wdJ i I would plead the university wo r be an essential part. To take it < 1 to the flat, featureless, suburban M r of Riccarton would be a calamity ; urge again that it is the clear di i of the City Council to take an act - interest in the area now. Andi f the greatest deference and respa > say again to the Governors of C 1 terbury College that their deck r to move to Riccarton is hastily r without enough consideration of - greater possibilities of the city 1 ; cinct. We were all bustled intoj j unhappy and unimaginative dec® r But all I am trying to g® J - fellow-citizens to see is that, w ? all, the responsibility is then.- 7 t City Council will do what the M 1 want it to do; and if the e governors find it not easy to mwe s reconsideration of the whole JM - with the City Council, they haw ' very good example of EdmWfl g And the advocates of this are I r just one eccentric professor andl a obstinate newspaper editor