Living Sydenham: Nature in Urbanity - Yong Le Chong

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Sydenham current design and development reflected the planning and ideologies of the time. Serving as a major connector that is bounded by Moorhouse Ave and Brougham St, the separation of blocks with concrete walls, a large number of compartmentalised spaces, a lack of openness, light and natural sight-lines and a shortage of programming and efforts to encourage people to use the space. All of these factors inevitably contributed to the lost of identity and connectivity.

Design Vision: Transforming Colombo Street into a diverse street aims to bridge the gap between architecture and landscape, which informs community well-being. Living Sydenham strives to provide strong spatial linkages to important public spaces through creating a unique character which has a place in the landscape of Christchurch. This will provide accessible areas for people living and working in Sydenham. Living Sydenham aims to direct Sydenham to embrace the local knowledge and daily experience that become a learning process that can help to grow the existing community and the new self-contained community that result in a stronger sense of
cohesion. On a whole, Living Sydenham seeks to consider a new way of conceiving the future of Sydenham Central. Creating a stronger sense of place through connection, community and identity which ultimately evoke 1930s Colombo Street.