
A photograph of the earthquake damage to a property in the Christchurch central city. Part of the roof of the property has collapsed, spilling material onto the balcony below. A sign in the foreground reads, "Wots your councillor doing for your water?".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "A detail of the new Christchurch Press building. This facade is a replica of the previous Press building's facade which was badly damaged in the 22 February 2011 earthquake".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Looking along Gloucester Street from the Oxford Terrace intersection. The central library is to the left".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Autumn leaves form a thick pile in front of the boarded-up door".
A document which explains the pre-approval process for specialist lining contractors working on the SCIRT horizontal repair programme.This document has had sections removed and redacted to protect contractors' commercial interests.For a current list of approved contractors authorised to carry out lining works on Christchurch City Council assets, contact the Council.
This study is a qualitative investigation into the decision-making behaviour of commercial property owners (investors and developers) who are rebuilding in a city centre after a major disaster. In 2010/2011, Christchurch, the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, was a site of numerous earthquakes. The stronger earthquakes destroyed many buildings and public infrastructure in the commercial inner city. As a result, affected property owners lost all or most of their buildings, a significant proportion of which were old and in the last phase of their life span. They had to negotiate pay-outs with insurance companies and decide, once paid out, whether they should rebuild in Christchurch or sell up and invest elsewhere. The clear majority of those who decided to reinvest in and rebuild the city are ‘locals’, almost all of whom had no prior experience of property development. Thus, in a post-disaster environment, most of these property owners have transitioned from being just being passive investors to active property developers. Their experience was interpreted using primary data gathered from in-depth and semi-structured interviews with twenty-one “informed property people” who included commercial property owners; property agents or consultants; representatives of public-sector agencies and financial institutions. The study findings showed that the decision-making behaviour of property investors and developers rebuilding after a major disaster did not necessarily follow a strict financial or profit motive as prescribed in the mainstream or neo-classical economics property literature. Rather, their decision-making behaviour has been largely shaped by emotional connections and external factors associated with their immediate environment. The theoretical proposition emerging from this study is that after a major disaster, local urban property owners are faced with two choices “to stay” or “to go”. Those who decide to stay and rebuild are typically very committed individuals who have a feeling of ownership, belonging and attachment to the city in which they live and work. These are people who will often take the lead in commercial property development, proactively making decisions and seeking positive investment outcomes for themselves which in turn result in revitalised commercial urban precincts.
A photograph of a member of the Wellington Emergency Management Office Emergency Response Team standing in a car park in the Christchurch central city. In the background is the Hotel Grand Chancellor. The hotel has a noticeable slump on the left side.
A photograph of a member of the Wellington Emergency Management Office Emergency Response Team standing in a car park in the Christchurch central city. In the background is the Hotel Grand Chancellor. The hotel has a noticeable slump on the left side.
Actor Tony Robinson at the "I hope Christchurch will..." blackboard, a mural on the corner of Colombo and Tuam Streets. Members of the public were invited to fill in the gaps with what they would like to see in the rebuilt city. Messages can be seen, such as, "I want sun!", "Embrace the new", "Retain its unique character", "Rise, and rise, and rise", "Rebuild to be better and stronger than before!" and "Environmentally friendly".
An aerial photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Colombo Street beginning at the Copthorne on the left and ending just past the Christchurch Cathedral".
Civil Defence staff conferring at their headquarters in the Christchurch Art Gallery during the immediate aftermath of the 22 February earthquake. On the back wall maps of the city on which areas of importance have been marked with stickers and marker pens can be seen.
A Transfield Services worker entering a manhole in north-east Christchurch. Piles of liquefaction are around the man hole. In the background, is one of the portable toilets set up after the 22 February 2011 earthquake to service areas of the city without operational sewers.
A post on the NZ Raw blog written by Mark Lincoln on 24 February 2011. Mark says, "I think this is the first post I wrote after the Feb 2011 earthquake. That first photo was my first view after coming out of the office. There's a popular wide panoramic photo that someone took from the Port Hills of all of the dust rising up from the city - the photo in the blog post shows what it looked like from within the dust cloud! There are people gathering further down the street where a building has collapsed".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "The Retour Restaurant in Edmonds Band Rotunda on Cambridge Terrace. This was added to the CERA demo list on 5 March 2012".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "The Retour Restaurant in Edmonds Band Rotunda on Cambridge Terrace. This was added to the CERA demo list on 5 March 2012".
The ground floor of the Central Library on Gloucester Street. Books have fallen off the shelves and are in piles in the aisles.
A plaque on the side of the Edmonds Band Rotunda on Cambridge Terrace. The plaque reads, "This rotunda shelter and circular seat were presented by T.J.Edmonds to celebrate fifty years of residence in Christchurch 26th September 1929".
An aerial photograph of Christ Church Cathedral.
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Detail of Christ's College".
During the 21st century, New Zealand has experienced increasing public concern over the quality of the design and appearance of new developments, and their effects on the urban environment. In response to this, a number of local authorities developed a range of tools to address this issue, including urban design panels to review proposals and provide independent advice. Following the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence, the commitment to achieve high quality urban design within Christchurch was given further importance, with the city facing the unprecedented challenge of rebuilding a ‘vibrant and successful city’. The rebuild and regeneration reinforced the need for independent design review, putting more focus and emphasis on the role and use of the urban design panel; first through collaboratively assisting applicants in achieving a better design outcome for their development by providing an independent set of eyes on their design; and secondly in assisting Council officers in forming their recommendations on resource consent decisions. However, there is a perception that urban design and the role of the urban design panel is not fully understood, with some stakeholders arguing that Council’s urban design requirements are adding cost and complexity to their developments. The purpose of this research was to develop a better understanding on the role of the Christchurch urban design panel post-earthquake in the central city; its direct and indirect influence on the built environment; and the deficiencies in the broader planning framework and institutional settings that it might be addressing. Ultimately, the perceived role of the Panel is understood, and there is agreement that urban design is having a positive influence on the built environment, albeit viewed differently amongst the varying groups involved. What has become clear throughout this research is that the perceived tension between the development community and urban design well and truly exists, with the urban design panel contributing towards this. This tension is exacerbated further through the cost of urban design to developers, and the drive for financial return from their investments. The panel, albeit promoting a positive experience, is simply a ‘tick box’ exercise for some, and as the research suggests, groups or professional are determining themselves what constitutes good urban design, based on their attitude, the context in which they sit and the financial constraints to incorporate good design elements. It is perhaps a bleak time for urban design, and more about building homes.
Members of various Search and Rescue teams after their shift in the central city. On the left is Shane from the New Zealand USAR team, centre, Suzy from the New Zealand Police, and right is Terry from Singapore's USAR team.
For the first time in November 2011, Christchurch residents finally had the opportunity to see the earthquake-damaged city centre on the Red Zone bus tours organised by CERA. The podium which formerly held the Godley statue. Behind is the Regent Theatre dome which has been removed from the building.
A PDF copy of the site map for Canterbury Tales. Canterbury Tales was the main event of FESTA 2013; a carnivalesque procession through the central city, led by Free Theatre Christchurch. Sculptural installations and performances were part of the procession, which started at the Bridge of Remembrance and ended in Cathedral Square.
A PDF copy of signage for the Places of Tranquillity initiative. Healthy Christchurch lead the collaborative project to create six gardens of beauty and peace to fill in some of the grey demolition sites across Christchurch. The signage promotes the initiative and invites people to register to create tranquil gardens at healthychristchurch.org.nz. From healthychristchurch.org.nz: "Healthy Christchurch is leading this innovative collaboration creating six gardens of beauty and peace to fill in some of the grey demolition sites across Christchurch.These gardens are for peace and tranquillity as well as family and community use with spaces designed for both." "This is a Healthy Christchurch collaboration in partnership with the city's ethnic communities to include their traditions, cultures and spiritual beliefs. This ensures that these communities' voices and presence is more visible in the rebuild of our city. There are three key partners in this collaborative project. Greening the Rubble are providing expertise in temporary site development and project managing the creation. Lincoln University School of Landscape Architecture provided the student competition and are supporting the winning students and their designs into fruition. Community and Public Health (CDHB) provide the overall project management, networks and promotion." "In 2012 Lincoln University School of Landscape Architecture students created 40 beautiful designs for the Places of Tranquillity. Six winning designs were chosen from the 995 votes made online or at the displays at Community and Public Health and the Migrant Centre. The six winners were announced at the Healthy Christchurch Hui on the 31st May 2012. Each winning student received a Certificate and a $50 Scorpio Book Voucher. The awards were presented by Michelle Mitchell, General Manager of the CERA Wellbeing Team."
An aerial photograph of the Christchurch central city near Cashel and High Streets. The photograph has been captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "The dense collection of buildings surrounding the Hotel Grand Chancellor with the two cranes being used for the demolition. What little of the street is visible running horizontally across the photograph is Hereford Street".
A photograph of the potato stamps which were created by Jen McBride for Gap Filler's Have a Steak in Your City project. The potato stamps were used to create the poster for the event and to decorate the paper napkins which people used to eat their steak. A number of these paper napkins are in the background of the photograph.
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "The demolition site of the Copthorne Durham Street with the Casino behind".
A photograph of the exterior of the Lions Transitional Facility. A wooden ramp leads up to the entrance to the facility.
The seismic tremor that shook Christchurch on February 22, 2011, not only shattered buildings but also the spirit of the city’s residents. Amidst the ruins, this design-focused thesis unravels two intertwining narratives, each essential to the city’s resurrection. At its core, this thesis probes the preservation of Christchurch’s memory and character, meticulously chronicling the lost heritage architecture and the subsequent urban metamorphosis. Beyond bricks and mortar, it also confronts the silent aftershocks - the pervasive mental health challenges stemming from personal losses and the disfigured cityscape. As a native of Christchurch, intimately connected to its fabric, my lens reflects not just on the architectural reconstruction but also on the emotional reconstruction. My experience as an autistic individual, a recently discovered facet of my identity, infuses this design journey with a distinct prism through which I perceive and interact with the world. The colourful sketches that drive the design process aren’t mere illustrations but manifestations of my interpretation of spaces and concepts, evoking joy and vitality—a testament to embracing diversity in design. Drawing parallels between healing my own traumas with my colourful and joyful neurodivergent worldview, I’ve woven this concept into proposals aimed at healing the city through whimsy, joy, and vibrant colours. Personal experiences during and post-earthquakes profoundly shape my design proposals. Having navigated the labyrinth of my own mental health amid the altered cityscape, I seek avenues for reconciliation, both personal and communal. The vibrant sketches and designs presented in this thesis encapsulate this vision—a fusion of vivid, unconventional interpretations and a dedication to preserving the essence of the original cityscape while still encouraging movement into the future.
A PDF copy of a page on the EQ Recovery Learning site which linked to a YouTube video. This short video provides an insight into the design and location of the Canterbury Earthquake Memorial, due to be completed in February 2017. We meet its designer Grega Vezjak, who shares his vision for the Memorial