Lessons from Santa Cruz

In the past week, Christchurch City Councillors have been visiting cities and towns in California that were badly damaged by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. They've been looking for ideas on how to rebuild their city.

One News, on Saturday night (21/05/2011), showed the councillors visiting Santa Cruz, California.

Santa Cruz is a city of 56,925 people (Lonely Planet 2010). It is situated on the Californian coast, approximately 100 km south of San Francisco. It has been known as a bit of a hippy town in its past. It is, in fact, so liberal, that according to Lonely Planet, Republicans are shot on the street (Lonely Planet, 2010). I guess George Bush isn't a frequent visitor then.

Downtown Santa Cruz, California.
Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2010)

It was heavily damaged during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, but subsequently rebuilt, not to be the same, but better. Take a look at the clip from the news below:

This offers great tips, not only for Christchurch, but also for Auckland. The people of Santa Cruz created a city they could be proud of. It was rebuilt properly, and the benefits have paid off.

Tree-lined streets, wide footpaths, and fantastic architecture are three features that make Santa Cruz the amazing town that it is. It is also extremely clean. The citizens seem to have a lot of pride in its appearance. It almost looks and feels like Sea Haven -  the town in the 1998 film The Truman Show.

Today, Santa Cruz is a picturesque, charming city. It is impossible to tell that much of it was rebuilt during the 1990s; the new seamlessly fits in with the old.

Here are some snaps of the city of Santa Cruz:

Santa Cruz, California.
Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2010)

The building in the left of the picture is the one they show being constructed after the 1989 earthquake, in the news clip. Yet, it looks like it could have been in the town since its foundation. Instead of destroying the town with ugly, modernist architecture, Santa Cruz chose to celebrate its heritage.

Santa Cruz, California.
Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2010)

Santa Cruz, California.
Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2010)

The city still even has a traditional old post office:

United States Post Office, Santa Cruz, California.
Mitchell, S. C. (Author) (2010)

Auckland Council should send some councillors to visit this city too (preferably the sane ones). This is how you build a solid, quality city.


LONELY PLANET. 2010. Coastal California, Melbourne, Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd.