Planned to Perfection

The Toronto Star reports on the wonder of Victorian-era town planning that is Christchurch, NZ. Prior to its December 1850 settlement, Christchurch was designed to be a replica of the ideal English, Anglican town – right down to a list of desired colonists. By January 1951, the first school and bank had opened, and the first newspaper had been printed. The town was designed in the then-popular Victorian gothic revival style and, with names like Worcester, Gloucester, Cambridge and Oxford, its streets revealed the origins of its town planners. These days, according to the Star, the city retains much of its English architectural and botanical appeal “with a thankfully more multicultural population.”