Some central Christchurch businesses are having to close their doors, blaming a tough economic climate. Retail spending in the central city is only 80 percent of what it was before the devastating 2011 earthquakes, while the number of people living in the area has shrunk by a third.
A PDF copy of pages 18-19 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'Revival'. Photos: Sam Heap
A photograph captioned by Paul Corliss, "By McKenzie & Willis, St Asaph Street".
A photograph captioned by Paul Corliss, "Manchester and Tuam Streets, botanical preservation site".
A photograph of Umut Akguzel with a collection of concrete stairs salvaged from a building and placed in a car park in the Christchurch central city.
A year and a half after the February Earthquake, economics has ensured much of the waste material coming out of Christchurch's central city has been recycled.
A photograph of volunteers from the Wellington Emergency Management Office standing on a pile of bricks from an earthquake-damaged building in the Christchurch central city.
A crane working on a brick building in the Christchurch central city. A sign on the fence reads, "Quake repairs, keep out, for your own safety".
A photograph of an earthquake damaged building in the Christchurch central city. Some of the windows have broken and have been covered with plastic and tape.
A photograph of volunteers from the Wellington Emergency Management Office standing on a pile of bricks from an earthquake-damaged building in the Christchurch central city.
Aerial image of the Christchurch central city taken by the Royal New Zealand Air Force for the Earthquake Commission. The Hotel Grand Chancellor can be seen.
An aerial photograph looking west over the northern part of the Christchurch central city with Bealey Avenue to the right and Hagley Park in the distance.
This research attempts to understand how the Christchurch rebuild is promoting urban liveability in the Central City, focussing on the influence of communities and neighbourhoods in this area. To do this, gathering the perceptions of Christchurch residents through surveys, a focus group and semi-structured interviews was carried out to see what aspects they believe contribute to creating more liveable places. These methods revealed that there are pockets of neighbourhoods and communities in the inner-city, but no overall sense of community. Results from the semi-structured interviews reinforced this; the current buyers of inner-city property are in the financial position to be able to do this, and they seem to be purchasing in this area due to convenience and investment rather than to join the existing communities in the area. Analysing the survey responses from Central City residents revealed contrasting results. Those currently living in the area felt there is a sense of community in the inner-city, but these are found in pockets of neighbourhoods around the Central City rather than in the overall area. The focus group revealed that community is further prioritised later in life, and that many of the community groups in the inner-city predominantly consist of those who have lived there since before the Christchurch Earthquake Series. However, participants of all three methods believed that the Central City is slowly becoming a lively and vibrant place. To improve urban liveability in the inner-city, it seems that prioritisation of the needs of current inner-city residents is required. Improving these neighbourhoods, whether it be through the implementation of services or providing more communal spaces, is needed to create stronger communities. The feelings of place, connectedness, and belonging that arise from being part of a community or well-connected neighbourhood can improve mental health and wellbeing, ultimately enhancing the overall health of the population as well as the perceived urban liveability of the area.
A photograph of a plaque dedicate to those who lost their lives in City Mall during the earthquake of 22 February 2011. The plague is located under a tree in Re:START mall.
A video about the Christchurch central city in the days after the 4 September 2010 earthquake. The video includes footage of empty streets, and New Zealand Police and Army members guarding the cordons. It also includes footage of engineers checking the safety of buildings.
20131228_6787_1D3-82 Twelve Days of Christmas (part 2) The NG building on Madras Street was given the go ahead to repair earthquake damage, which the owners did at some expense, Now, the government want this land to build a central city stadium, so there is a protest on the windows set to the Christmas song the Twelve Days of Christmas. 12 mi...
20131228_6786_1D3-97 Twelve Days of Christmas (part 1) The NG building on Madras Street was given the go ahead to repair earthquake damage, which the owners did at some expense, Now, the government want this land to build a central city stadium, so there is a protest on the windows set to the Christmas song the Twelve Days of Christmas. 12 mi...
A video of an address by Antony Gough, Managing Director of Hereford Holdings Ltd, at the 2014 Seismics and the City forum. This talk was part of the Building Opportunities section, and explored commercial development opportunities in Central Christchurch, the constraints, and what needs to be done.
Following devastating earthquakes in 2010 and 2011 in Christchurch, there is an opportunity to use sustainable urban design variables to redevelop the central city in order to address climate change concerns and reduce CO₂ emissions from land transport. Literature from a variety of disciplines establishes that four sustainable urban design variables; increased density, mixed-use development, street layout and city design, and the provision of sustainable public transport, can reduce car dependency and vehicle kilometres travelled within urban populations- widely regarded as indicators of the negative environmental effects of transport. The key question for the research is; to what extent has this opportunity been seized by NZ’s Central Government who are overseeing the central city redevelopment? In order to explore this question the redevelopment plans for the central city of Christchurch are evaluated against an adapted urban design matrix to determine whether a reduction in CO₂ emissions from land transport is likely to be achieved through their implementation. Data obtained through interviews with experts is used to further explore the extent to which sustainable urban design variables can be employed to enhance sustainability and reduce CO₂ emissions. The analysis of this data shows that the four urban design variables will feature in the Central Government’s redevelopment plans although the extent to which they are employed and their likely success in reducing CO₂ emissions will vary. Ultimately, the opportunity to redevelop the central city of Christchurch to reduce CO₂ emissions from land transport will be undermined due to timeframe, co-ordination, and leadership barriers.
A photograph of the side of the Odeon Theatre on Tuam Street, seen from Manchester Street.
A photograph captioned by Paul Corliss, "Trade Union Centre building, corner of Madras and Armagh Streets".
An advertisement from April 2016 informing residents that local businesses are still open, despite detours and roadworks.
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "The CCC held a road show to gather the citizens' opinions on how Christchurch should be redeveloped".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "The CCC held a road show to gather the citizens' opinions on how Christchurch should be re-developed".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "The CCC held a road show to gather the citizens' opinions on how Christchurch should be redeveloped".
A tool, in the form of an A5 card, given to workshop and toolbox participants, outlining five easy steps to minimise the impact of roadworks on businesses.
An aerial photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "A detail from a larger aerial photograph showing Hereford Street running from the top left of the photo to the bottom middle of the photo. The Occidental Hotel used to be to the right of the blue building in the middle of the photo".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "The CCC held a road show to gather the citizens' opinions on how Christchurch should be redeveloped".
A photograph of the east side of the Odeon Theatre, showing the severe damage at the back of the theatre.
A tool, in the form of a poster, given to workshop and toolbox participants and hung up at worksites and in offices, outlining five easy steps to minimise the impact of roadworks on businesses.