Share an Idea community expo - a family affair

The Share an Idea Community Expo, which opens tomorrow (Saturday 14 May), will be a fun day out for all ages.

The weekend-long expo, run by the Christchurch City Council, is being held at the CBS Canterbury Arena in Addington between 10am and 5pm on both days, offering Cantabrians a chance to share their ideas for how Christchurch's Central City should be redeveloped.

Mayor Bob Parker says while the main focus is getting ideas from the public, it will also be an opportunity for people to better understand how the Central City Plan will be developed.

"People will be able to find out more about the opportunities and limitations for the Central City Plan, our city's historical context and the role of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority.

"It will be a very informative event, but will also be interactive and particularly engaging for young people."

Four large, themed areas will cover the main sections of the Central City Plan. The 'Life' section covers areas such as recreation, nightlife and heritage; 'Space' includes parks, gardens and buildings; 'Move' looks at all areas of transport; and 'Market' covers anything that relates to business. These areas will be set up for people to share ideas and will contain display panels, images and tables (including one for kids to draw at).

With 9,000 pieces of Lego on loan from Lego NZ, people can take their ideas to the next level and build their dream Central City on a large board in the shape of Christchurch City.

A Video Lounge will play continuous footage of earthquake damage in the Central City and plasma screens will show before and after street views.

There will also be a speakers' corner with 18 speakers over the weekend, video recording for YouTube, an area for children's artwork, free parking and a café.

"This weekend is a really important one for this city, but we've also made sure it'll be a lot of fun. I encourage all residents to drop in at some point over the next two days - bring the kids, plenty of ideas and an open mind," says Mr Parker.

People can continue to monitor the website, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to stay informed. With over 4,000 ideas received so far on the shareanidea.org.nz website, the next stage will be launched on Monday to further explore emerging themes.