A photograph of USAR codes spray painted on the window of a building in the Christchurch central city.
Aftermath of September 4th Earthquake in Canterbury (area covers Christchurch City) NZ. Storm drains - Anfield Street, Brooklands.
The city of Christchurch has experienced over 10,000 aftershocks since the 4th of September 2010 earthquake of which approximately 50 have been greater than magnitude 5. The damage caused to URM buildings in Christchurch over this sequence of earthquakes has been well documented. Due to the similarity in age and construction of URM buildings in Adelaide, South Australia and Christchurch (they are sister cities, of similar age and heritage), an investigation was conducted to learn lessons for Adelaide based on the Christchurch experience. To this end, the number of URM buildings in the central business districts of both cities, the extent of seismic strengthening that exists in both cities, and the relative earthquake hazards for both cities were considered. This paper will report on these findings and recommend strategies that the city of Adelaide could consider to significantly reduce the seismic risk posed by URM buildings in future earthquake.
An aerial photograph looking south over Christchurch across the airport.
A notice on the fence outside the CTV site on Madras Street. The notice reads, "Please respect this site. In recognition of the special significance this site holds for the people of our city and all those affected by the earthquakes, the Christchurch City Council is working with Canterbury Museum to preserve aspects of our remembering. Tributes may be left at this site. Older tributes will be removed for archiving by the Canterbury Museum to become part of the city's memory of the Canterbury Earthquakes. Organic materials will be composted and used in the city's gardens. Canterbury Museum. Christchurch City Council".
A video about the New Zealand Army's engineers working with the Christchurch City Council and community centres to secure buildings in Christchurch, set up bases in Latimer Square, and fix infrastructure such as Burwood Hospital's water supply.
A copy of a letter from Hugo Kristinsson which was sent to Helen Beaumont, Manager of the Natural Environment and Heritage Unit at the Christchurch City Council, on 17 June 2014. The letter was sent on behalf of Empowered Christchurch. It is about legislation which, according to Kristinsson, determines land below the mean high water spring to be public land. Kristinsson is concerned that this legislation will cause 'hundred or even thousands' of people to lose their assets. He urges the Council to 'have the land surveyed and to redefine the CMA [Crown Minerals Act] before land claims are settled'.
A copy of a document from Empowered Christchurch which was sent to Queen Elizabeth. The document consists of a letter from Empowered Christchurch to Douglas Martin, Crown Manager from the Christchurch City Council, and Official Information Act requests sent to Building and Construction Minister Maurice Williamson and Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee. It also includes an appeal to the Queen on behalf of Christchurch residents with badly-damaged houses. Please note that a letter from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, which was originally included in the document, has been removed due to copyright issues.
A photograph of Marie Hudson opening a box of broken china in a garage. Hudson is wearing painting overalls.Crack'd for Christchurch comments, "August 2013. Moving into our new inner-city workshop...on the 2nd storey of a quake-damaged building. We could see daylight through the walls in places."
The former Government Life building in Christchurch's Cathedral Square will be demolished. On my walk around the city May 21, 2014 Christchurch New Zealand. www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/christch...
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.
A poster created by Empowered Christchurch to advertise their submission to the CERA Draft Transition Recovery Plan on social media.The poster reads, "Submission, CERA Draft Transition Recovery Plan. Future Insurability. In an article in the New Zealand Herald of 5 November 2014, the CEO of IAG refers to cooperation with the NZ Government on a strategic intent in 2011 to avoid depopulation of Christchurch. Now that the ICNZ has signalled its intention to withdraw from high-risk areas and the CCC also plans to redefine the boundaries of the city so as to exclude properties below the Mean High Water Springs. We ask whether a 'recovery' involves abandoning people once the insurance and bank sectors have managed a retreat? We need a city that is driven by the people that live in it, and enabled by a bureaucracy that accepts and mitigates risks, rather than transferring them to the most vulnerable of its residents".
A member of the South Australian Urban Search and Rescue team working in Christchurch central city. In the background, a digger is clearing rubble.
A member of the South Australian Urban Search and Rescue team working in Christchurch central city. In the background, a digger is clearing rubble.
Aerial image of the Christchurch City Centre taken by the Royal New Zealand Air Force for the Earthquake Commission.
A photograph of a woman making coffee in a temporary café in a house in the Christchurch central city.
A spray-painted message on a wall of Englefield Lodge reads "We will try to save this house." Wooden bracing supports the wall. The photographer comments, "A bike ride around the CBD. Englefield, Christchurch's oldest house in Fitzgerald Ave".
A PDF copy of a page on the EQ Recovery Learning site which linked to a YouTube video. In 2015, Christchurch hosted the biggest international cricket tournament ever to be played in New Zealand - the ICC Cricket World Cup. Take a look behind the scenes and through the eyes of some of Canterbury's most passionate cricketers as cricket makes its epic return to the Hagley Oval.
A PDF copy of a poster promoting the 'Write Now' 2014 young writers workshops. Some of the best works from the workshop were published in a chapbook and in posters for Christchurch 2014 WORD Festival. The workshops were supported by All Right?, Christchurch City Libraries and The School for Young Writers.
A PDF copy of a poster promoting the 'Write Now' 2014 young writers workshops. Some of the best works from the workshop were published in a chapbook and in posters for Christchurch 2014 WORD Festival. The workshops were supported by All Right?, Christchurch City Libraries and The School for Young Writers.
A photograph of a sign on the door of the Christchurch City Council Building on Hereford Street. The sign reads, "EOC staff to use Worcester Street entrance".
A photograph of a Christchurch City Council building on Tuam Street. One of the windows on the bottom floor has shattered and there is glass on the footpath below.
A photograph of the Christchurch City Council car park building on Madras Street. The bottom windows of the building have been boarded up and the building has been fenced off.
The decontamination area inside the city cordon. The area was set up after the 22 February 2011 earthquake in order to decontaminate equipment used in Operation Christchurch Quake.
Children play on street furniture on Gloucester Street, part of one of the Christchurch City Council's Transitional City projects. In the background is the facade of the Isaac Theatre Royal, protected by shipping containers.
Children play on street furniture on Gloucester Street, part of one of the Christchurch City Council's Transitional City projects. In the background is the facade of the Isaac Theatre Royal, protected by shipping containers.
Children play on street furniture on Gloucester Street, part of one of the Christchurch City Council's Transitional City projects. In the background is the facade of the Isaac Theatre Royal, protected by shipping containers.
An aerial photograph of the Christchurch central city with the intersection between Tuam and Colombo Street in the bottom centre.
A poster created by Empowered Christchurch to advertise their submission to the CERA Draft Transition Recovery Plan on social media.The poster reads, "Submission. CERA Draft Transition Recovery Plan. 5. In your opinion, is there a better way to report on these recovery issues? We believe that, as regards residential recovery, monitoring should extend to code compliance certificates. According to figures published in 2014, only factions of repairs/rebuilds are completed with the issue of a code compliance certificate. To conclude the work to the required standard, someone must pay for the code compliance. Leaving things as they are could have serious negative consequences for the recovery and for the city as a whole. We suggest an investigation of number of outstanding code compliance certificates and that responsible parties are made to address this outstanding work. We need a city that is driven by the people that live in it, and enabled by a bureaucracy that accepts and mitigates risks, rather than transferring them to the most vulnerable residents."
A web story about a site visit to the Bridge and Arch by local school pupils.