A green vision for Christchurch

The Greens announced their vision for Christchurch today: public transport, no asset sales, the restoration of democracy, and funding for the planned Avon-Otakaro River Park. It looks pretty good. The public transport stuff looks like a great response to the population shifts caused by the earthquakes, and it looks pretty cheap as well: all the lines are already in place, the carriages are surplus after Auckland's electrification, so its just a matter of scheduling and feeder buses. Forgoing Gerry Brownlee's white elephant stadium to avoid asset sales also seems like a no-brainer. As for the restoration of democracy, this is a fundamental, and as I've pointed out earlier, can be achieved with the flick of a pen (at which stage much of the law repeals itself, the rest following by Order In Council).

Overall, it looks like a pretty good plan. Christchurch voters now have a clear choice between a city controlled by them and one controlled by Gerry Brownlee. It'll be interesting to see how much earthquake issues shift the vote down there.

The Greens full policy is here.