Styx Basin Reserve : a study of the reserve in its regional context : submitted in part fulfilment of the requirements for the Diploma in Landscape Architecture at Lincoln College, University of Canterbury

Abstract

The primary objective of this study has been the design of a recreational facility for Christchurch on a part of the Styx River Basin. Three considerations have been kept in mind to achieve this goal ranging from the broad scale down to a detailed investigation on the site- (1) To determine how the reserve fits within the existing regional open space network. (2) To determine potential use of the site relevant to its natural features. (3) Investigate the particular form and design of an arboretum for the area, commensurate with ideas that may emerge from item two. The broad area of the study has encompassed urban Christchurch with the outer boundaries including the Summit Road on the Port Hills to the south, the coastline to the east Waimakariri River to and inclusive of McLeans Island to the north, and the western green belt sector between McLeans Island and the Port Hills. These boundaries have been resolved through a combination of physical and visual constraints. The bulk of the Port Hills forming a backdrop to the city, the clean break between land and sea, and the physical barrier of the Waimakariri River. The western boundary has no clear-cut visual constraint, the land being very flat to the horizon with the Southern Alps forming a distant backdrop. Soil factors provide a physical basis for land use changes typified by old river channels running south-east from Waimakariri River towards the Port Hills.