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Research papers, Lincoln University

The increase in urban population has required cities to rethink their strategies for minimising greenhouse gas impacts and adapting to climate change. While urban design and planning policy have been guided by principles such as walkability (to reduce the dependence on cars) and green infrastructure (to enhance the quality of open spaces to support conservation and human values), there have been conflicting views on what spatial strategies will best prepare cities for a challenging future. Researchers supporting compact cities based upon public Transit Oriented Development have claimed that walkability, higher density and mixed-uses make cities more sustainable (Owen, 2009) and that, while green spaces in cities are necessary, they are dull in comparison with shopfronts and street vendors (Speck, 2012, p 250). Other researchers claim that green infrastructure is fundamental to improving urban sustainability and attracting public space users with improved urban comfort, consequently encouraging walkability (Pitman and Ely, 2013). Landscape architects tend to assume that ‘the greener the better’; however, the efficiency of urban greenery in relation to urban comfort and urbanity depends on its density, distribution and the services provided. Green infrastructure can take many forms (from urban forests to street trees) and provide varied services (amended microclimate, aesthetics, ecology and so forth). In this paper, we evaluate the relevance of current policy in Christchurch regarding both best practice in green infrastructure and urban comfort (Tavares, 2015). We focus on the Christchurch Blueprint for rebuilding the central city, and critically examine the post-earthquake paths the city is following regarding its green and grey infrastructures and the resulting urban environment. We discuss the performance and appropriateness of the current Blueprint in post-earthquake Christchurch, particularly as it relates to the challenges that climate change is creating for cities worldwide.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of a temporary installation titled Highlight under construction in the Re:START mall car park on Cashel Street. The installation was created by students from Unitec Architecture Department for Canterbury Tales - a carnivalesque procession which was the main event of FESTA 2013.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of a temporary installation titled Highlight under construction in the Re:START mall car park on Cashel Street. The installation was created by students from Unitec Architecture Department for Canterbury Tales - a carnivalesque procession which was the main event of FESTA 2013.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of a temporary installation titled Highlight under construction in the Re:START mall car park on Cashel Street. The installation was created by students from Unitec Architecture Department for Canterbury Tales - a carnivalesque procession which was the main event of FESTA 2013.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of a temporary installation titled Highlight under construction in the Re:START mall car park on Cashel Street. The installation was created by students from Unitec Architecture Department for Canterbury Tales - a carnivalesque procession which was the main event of FESTA 2013.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of a temporary installation titled Highlight under construction in the Re:START mall car park on Cashel Street. The installation was created by students from Unitec Architecture Department for Canterbury Tales - a carnivalesque procession which was the main event of FESTA 2013.

Research papers, The University of Auckland Library

Churches are an important part of New Zealand's historical and architectural heritage. Various earthquakes around the world have highlighted the significant seismic vulnerability of religious buildings, with the extensive damage that occurred to stone and clay-brick unreinforced masonry churches after the 2010-2011 Canterbury earthquakes emphasising the necessity to better understand this structural type. Consequently, a country-wide inventory of unreinforced masonry churches is here identified. After a bibliographic and archival investigation, and a 10 000 km field trip, it is estimated that currently 297 unreinforced masonry churches are present throughout New Zealand, excluding 12 churches demolished in Christchurch because of heavy damage sustained during the Canterbury earthquake sequence. The compiled database includes general information about the buildings, their architectural features and structural characteristics, and any architectural and structural transformations that have occurred in the past. Statistics about the occurrence of each feature are provided and preliminary interpretations of their role on seismic vulnerability are discussed. The list of identified churches is reported in annexes, supporting their identification and providing their address.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of part of the display structure for the Info Gap temporary outdoor display space. The structure is sitting behind the Gap Filler headquarters in Sydenham.