Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Knox Church".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Knox Church".
Workers and a police officer stand next to diggers and a Road Closed sign at the intersection of Victoria Street and Bealey Avenue, seen from Papanui Road.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to Knox Church on the corner of Bealey Avenue and Victoria Street. The brick walls of the gables have collapsed, exposing the building's wooden frame and the inside of the building. Wire fences and emergency tape have been placed around the building as a cordon.
View of the intersection of Victoria Street and Bealey Avenue, looking towards the Knox Church. Across the street are unstable buildings with scaffolding erected around the sides.
A sign on the badly-damaged Knox Presbyterian Church reading, " Fresh, new beginnings. Join us 10am Sunday".
A view down Victoria Street from the corner of Victoria Street and Bealey Avenue. On the left is the damaged Knox Church, where the brick has crumbled but the wooden roof frame is still intact. In front is a tent where the Army is guarding the cordon from.
A photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Knox Church showing the diagonal cracking in the brick work by the front door".
The site of a demolished building on the corner of Bealey Avenue and Victoria Street where steel has been laid for the foundations of a new building.
A sign on the fence surrounding Knox Presbyterian Church reading, 'Broken but still beating. The heart of Christchurch is people like us!'.
The south wall of Knox Presbyterian Church. The brickwork around the gables has crumbled into the street below, exposing the wooden bracing underneath. Wire fencing has been placed around the building to keep people away.
The south wall of Knox Presbyterian Church. The brickwork around the gables has crumbled into the street below, exposing the wooden bracing underneath. Wire fencing has been placed around the building to keep people away.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to Knox Church on the corner of Bealey Avenue and Victoria Street. The walls of the gables have crumbled, the bricks falling onto the footpath. Many have been cleared away and now sit in a pile on the road. Road cones, metal fences, and cordon tape have been placed around the building.
A view down Victoria Street from the corner of Victoria Street and Bealey Avenue. On the left is the damaged Knox Church, where the brick has crumbled but the wooden roof frame is still intact. Behind is the the BDO building and on the left is an empty demolition site.
A row of damaged shops on Victoria Street at the intersection with Bealey Avenue. The street has been cordoned off with road cones and a sign that says 'road closed'.
Foam hearts with uplifting messages pegged to the fence surrounding Knox Presbyterian Church. The heart on the left reads, "We're all in this together. Christchurch, we love you! Xx". The heart on the right reads, "'We can do no great things; only small things with great love.' Mother Teresa
A photograph of the exterior of Smash Palace. Scaffolding and plastic sheeting has been used to create walls around the site.
A photograph of the exterior of Smash Palace. Scaffolding and plastic sheeting has been used to create walls around the site.
A photograph of the interior of Smash Palace. A bus parked in the centre of the site is being used as a bar.
A photograph of the interior of Smash Palace. A bus parked in the centre of the site is being used as a bar.
An aerial photograph of the Christchurch central city. The photograph is captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "BDO Lumley House which is in the process of being demolished. Knox Church is visible on the right hand side of the photo".
On a walk around the neighbourhood, December 3, 2013, Christchurch New Zealand. www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/christchurch-life/avenues/featu...
A photograph of the interior of Smash Palace. A bus parked in the centre of the site is being used as a bar, and tarpaulins provide a roof over a seating area.
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "A series of bandaid images appeared across the city on badly damaged buildings. This one is at Knox Church".
A photograph of a paste-up on the wall of the earthquake-damaged Knox Church. The paste-up depicts a bandaid with a speech bubble reading, "I'll kiss it better".
A photograph of a paste-up on the wall of the earthquake-damaged Knox Church. The paste-up depicts a bandaid with a speech bubble reading, "I'll kiss it better".
A photograph of a paste-up on the wall of the earthquake-damaged Knox Church. The paste-up depicts a bandaid with a speech bubble reading, "I'll kiss it better".
A photograph of a paste-up on the wall of the earthquake-damaged Knox Church. The paste-up depicts a bandaid with a speech bubble reading, "I'll kiss it better".
A PDF copy of pages 198-199 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'Smash Palace'. Photos: Irene Boles
When the devastating 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand, at 12.51pm on 22nd February 2011, the psychological and physical landscape was irrevocably changed. In the days and weeks following the disaster communities were isolated due to failed infrastructure, continuing aftershocks and the extensive search and rescue effort which focussed resources on the central business district. In such moments the resilience of a community is truly tested. This research discusses the role of grassroots community groups in facilitating community resilience during the Christchurch 2010/11 earthquakes and the role of place in doing so. I argue that place specific strategies for urban resilience need to be enacted from a grassroots level while being supported by broader policies and agencies. Using a case study of Project Lyttelton – a group aspiring towards a resilient sustainable future who were caught at the epicentre of the February earthquake – I demonstrate the role of a community group in creating resilience through self-organised place specific action during a disaster. The group provided emotional care, basic facilities and rebuilding assistance to the residents of Lyttelton, proving to be an invaluable asset. These actions are closely linked to the characteristics of social support and social learning that have been identified as important to socio-ecological resilience. In addition this research will seek to understand and explore the nuances of place and identity and its role in shaping resilience to such dis-placing events. Drawing on community narratives of the displacement of place identity, the potential for a progressive sense of place as instigated by local groups will be investigated as an avenue for adaptation by communities at risk of disaster and place destabilisation.