State Intervention in a Post-War Suburban Public Housing Project in Christchurch, New Zealand

Abstract

Viewed positively or negatively, the Levittown image of suburbia often stands as the quintessential expression of this form of housing settlement in the latter half of the twentieth century. The image is one of privately-funded developments characterized by uniform housing styles in layouts that lack diversity visually where the private automobile is the only sanctioned form of transport. Cultural and socio-economic diversity is uncommon here. By the same token, public housing in the post-war era connotes inner city row-house slum clearance or urban edge housing estate tower-block developments which make the Levittowns of the world seem relatively benign. But what happens when the state attempts public housing using the private sector model of middle-class suburbia? This paper examines a central government-sponsored housing project initiated at Aranui/Wainoni in the eastern suburbs of Christchurch in the 1950s. Aranui/Wainoni appears to have faltered from its inception and it is often described as the worst suburb in the city. Drawing upon social capital theory and social sustainability this paper reads government archival records on the early phase of Aranui/Wainoni and argues that social sustainability was implicitly if not explicitly planned for and accommodated. It cautions that the success of “re-planning” Aranui/Wainoni depends upon support for an intermediating community entity and that this will apply to future state interventions in state suburb-making if these are to succeed.

The Relationship between Pre-Collaboration and Community Resiliency: A Case of Housing Renewal Project in New Zealand

“…Until the first half of the 20th century, Aranui was predominantly a rural area (Montgomery, 2016). Consequently, in the 1950s and 1960s, a large number of state houses were built in Aranui, largely through the (then) orthodox welfare state model characterised as "top-down".…”

“…The multi-unit buildings resulted in huge dissatisfaction because they had privacy issues and limited private outdoor spaces. They looked the same and the proximity of several multi-unit buildings increased territorial gang wars and created safety issues for the local community (Montgomery, 2016). Therefore, the area had a history of marginalisation, poverty and deprivation and "top-down" project management.…”

“…In addition, this raises the question whether pre-collaboration is only going to facilitate the rest of the collaborative process or if it has some longer-term results on the ground or outcomes, contributions and consequences to the project, to those involved, and to the local communities and public organizations, so we can say it is worthwhile to invest in pre-collaboration. To define outcomes, it is important to note that in recent years planning and policy theorists and academics have often talked about "transformation ability", "resiliency" or "adaptation" of the communities and organizations as the ultimate goal of urban planning, collaboration and urban governance (Adger, 2003;Aldrich, 2012;Bull & Jones, 2006;Emerson & Nabatchi, 2015;Healey, 1997;Kapucu, 2014;Kapucu & Garayev, 2011, 2012Montgomery, 2016;Nakagawa & Shaw, 2004;Shaw, 2003;Smit & Wandel, 2006;Tompkins & Adger, 2004;Waugh & Streib, 2006). Consequently, in this paper we look for the evidence of community adaptation and resiliency to see if the investment on pre-collaboration is worthwhile.…”

Building the Foundations of Collaboration: From Housing Development to Community Renewal

“…Aranui was predominantly a rural area until the first half of 20 th century when it became a part of Christchurch city (Montgomery, 2016). Subsequently, in the 1950s and 1960s, a large number of state houses were designed and built in the area, largely through the (then) orthodox welfare state model characterized as "top-down".…”

“…The multi-unit buildings caused widespread dissatisfaction because of the lack of privacy and limited private outdoor spaces. They were monotonous and the proximity of several multi-unit buildings promoted territorial gang wars and created safety issues for other residents (Montgomery, 2016). By the 1990s, Aranui had the highest rates of transient population in the city and was over-represented in violent crime statistics (Statistics New Zealand, 2001).…”