新西兰英语 435 Christchurch City Council wants ideas

 　　Christchurch City Council¹ held a forum² this weekend to ask for ideas about re-building the city after the 6.3 earthquake February 22nd. The forum was held in a large indoor stadium.

　　Inside the entrance was some information about Christchurch city when it was first built in the 1850s. In another part of the stadium, there were videos on the damage to the city after the earthquake and the work done by Urban Search and Rescue (USAR). There were places for children to build a new city from Lego or draw a picture. On the back wall were four areas labeled: Life, Space, Market and Move where people could see pictures from other cities around the world as well as from Christchurch before the earthquake. Life included living in the city, visiting the city for cultural things like the theatre or concerts, and eating and drinking in the city. Space included parks and places to sit and enjoy the city. Market meant shops and businesses and Move was transport. People were given post-it notes to write their ideas and stick them on the wall. There were thousands of ideas.

　　Here are some of the ideas from post-it notes. Many people wanted more cycle-ways and more green spaces like parks. They want low rise buildings, not high rise. They want more people living in the city. They want WiFi in the city. They don’t want buses or cars in the city but parking buildings not too far away and trams to take people into the city.

　　There were also speakers during the two days giving their ideas on what the new city should look like. Hundreds of people listened to the speakers and asked questions.

　　Now the Council will try to organise³ all the ideas and make a draft⁴ plan by the end of July. Then Christchurch people can discuss the plan. The final plan will be in December.

　　If you live in Christchurch and want to give your ideas, go to Share An Idea.

　　Vocabulary

　　A forum is a place where people can exchange ideas and discuss important matters.

　　A draft plan is the first plan which can change. It is not the final plan.

　　Questions

　　How is it possible to listen to everyone when there are such different ideas? Should the Council just listen to the experts?

　　How do the people of Christchurch feel about being asked for their ideas?

　　Christchurch was a city of about 400,000 people before the earthquake. In the future it will probably be smaller as some businesses and residents⁵ have left and will not return. It is flat. How would you design a small city? Think abut⁶ those four categories: Life, Spaces, Market, and Move.

1 council   

n.理事会，委员会，议事机构

参考例句：

• The town council passed a law forbidding the distribution of handbills.市议会通过法律，禁止散发传单。
• The city council has declared for improving the public bus system.市议会宣布同意改进公共汽车系统。

2 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

3 organise   

vt.组织，安排，筹办

参考例句：

• He has the ability to organise.他很有组织才能。
• It's my job to organise all the ceremonial events.由我来组织所有的仪式。

4 draft   

vt.起草，作...的草稿；n.草稿，草图，草案

参考例句：

• He's now revising the first draft of his essay.他目前正修改他的文章初稿。
• The draft of this article has been done。这篇文章已经定稿。

5 residents   

n.居民( resident的名词复数 )；（旅馆的）住宿者

参考例句：

• Plans to build a new mall were deep-sixed after protests from local residents. 修建新室内购物中心的计划由于当地居民反对而搁浅。
• Local residents have reacted angrily to the news. 当地居民对这一消息表示愤怒。

6 abut   

v.接界，毗邻

参考例句：

• The two lots are abut together.那两块地毗连着。
• His lands abut on the motorway.他的土地毗邻高速公路。