Chronicle - Communications - University of Canterbury

Readers’ PollDo you think the University should relocate to the CBD?Cast your vote at www.comsdev.canterbury.ac.nz/poll.shtmlIt was only last year that the propositionof relocating even a small part of theUniversity – the School of Music – to becloser to the passing audiences andheritage buildings of the old University sitein the central city lead some to argue thatany splitting of the campus would detractfrom the integrated campus and learningcommunity at Ilam.Since the earthquakes, the question hasbeen raised by some as to whether theUniversity should up sticks and head eastto infuse the struggling area within the fouravenues with vitality. Relocating theUniversity is not the answer.Firstly, the University has not run out ofspace where it is. UC has more land andbuilt infrastructure per student than theaverage New Zealand university. Ourfacilities are not as fully utilised as theyshould be.Secondly, the University buildings didnot fall down or even suffer significantstructural damage in the earthquakes. Yes,there is remediation work to be undertakenover coming years, but more than 220 ofour 240 separate structural spaces will havebeen certified for general occupation by theend of May.Thirdly, a detailed assessment of thestate of our buildings pre-earthquakesshowed the vast majority of the space to beof above average quality. Buildings such asCommerce and Law were built in the 1990sand the $10 million NZi3 building, $32million biological sciences building andmultimillion dollar primary data centre areall less than three years old. Yes, there aresome older spaces ready for refurbishmentin Science and Engineering, but this willrepresent a fraction of the cost ofrebuilding substantial buildings.Fourthly, it makes no economic sense toabandon special-purpose infrastructurethat is not damaged at a time when theeconomic demands to replace damagedinfrastructure are so great. Besides, shiftingthe economic activity generated by theUniversity and its students to another partof town does nothing to increase the totaleconomic activity in the city. Our focusshould be on attracting 5000 morestudents to study in Christchurch, noton shifting the current activity 10km tothe east.“Talk of relocating theUniversity has thepotential to be anenormous distraction.Finally, the University must focus onrecruiting and retaining students,supporting staff and their research effortsand reassuring potential collaborators andstakeholders that the University is fullyoperational. Talk of relocating theUniversity has the potential to be anenormous distraction.So what might attract the Universityto locate some activities within the fouravenues?The University would welcome theopportunity to support the creation of aworld-leading research and teachingmedical complex to support the millionpeople who live in the South Island. Apostgraduate medical school, the trainingof allied medical professionals anddevelopment of advanced applied medicaltechnologies should be focused in what isknown as the Central Business District butmay in future be known as the Centre ofAdvanced Applied Medicine.“It may also make sense to locate sportsand recreation facilities in proximity to theexisting stadium and health sciences,which are not unrelated to sports science,may also be considered.In its draft campus master plan, theUniversity identified its desire to providefacilities for music on its Ilam campus andto enhance the sports and recreationalinfrastructure to support health, lifestylesand wellbeing for its community. As theseplans are progressed they should not beseen as in conflict with the needs of othercommunities that constitute the greatercity of Christchurch. The University doesnot seek and cannot afford to replace theTown Hall, Convention Centre, QEII Stadiumor Arts Centre but will develop arts, cultural,entertainment, recreation and retailactivities of appropriate scale to support itsvibrant community and widerneighbourhood.We will do this mindful of, and inassociation with, the wider city and theemerging vision of the area which formerlyhoused many businesses but may, in thefuture, be home to medical, recreationaland sporting facilities the city and regioncould become renowned for, and whererelevant research and teaching is co-locatedand employees and students choose to live.That vision does not require the Universityto relocate but merely to be convinced, as itreaches out, that there is a real opportunityto be grasped.CHRONICLE 46, May 201115