A photograph of the wall of a street football arena built by Student Volunteer Army volunteers. The wall has a sign attached acknowledging the support of Resene, and is painted with the words, 'Red zone timber'.
Following the Canterbury earthquake sequence of 2010-11, a large and contiguous tract of vacated ‘red zoned’ land lies alongside the lower Ōtākaro / Avon River and is known as the Avon-Ōtākaro Red Zone (AORZ). This is the second report in the Ecological Regeneration Options (ERO) project that addresses future land uses in the AORZ. The purpose of this report is to present results from an assessment of restoration opportunities conducted in April 2017. The objectives of the assessment were to identify potential benefits of ecological restoration activities across both land and water systems in the AORZ and characterise the key options for their implementation. The focus of this report is not to provide specific advice on the methods for achieving specific restoration endpoints per se. This will vary at different sites and scales with a large number of combinations possible. Rather, the emphasis is on providing an overview of the many restoration and regeneration options in their totality across the AORZ. An additional objective is to support their adequate assessment in the identification of optimum land uses and adaptive management practices for the AORZ. Participatory processes may play a useful role in assessment and stakeholder engagement by providing opportunities for social learning and the co-creation of new knowledge. We used a facilitated local knowledge based approach that generated a large quantity of reliable and site specific data in a short period of time. By inviting participation from a wide knowledge-holder network inclusivity is improved in comparison to small-group expert panel approaches. Similar approaches could be applied to other information gathering and assessment needs in the regeneration planning process. Findings from this study represent the most comprehensive set of concepts available to date to address the potential benefits of ecological regeneration in the AORZ. This is a core topic for planning to avoid missed opportunities and opportunity costs. The results identify a wide range of activities that may be applied to generate benefits for Christchurch and beyond, all involving aspects of a potential new ecology in the AORZ. These may be combined at a range of scales to create scenarios, quantify benefits, and explore the potential for synergies between different land use options. A particular challenge is acquiring the information needed within relatively short time frames. Early attention to gathering baseline data, addressing technical knowledge gaps, and developing conceptual frameworks to account for the many spatio-temporal aspects are all key activities that will assist in delivering the best outcomes. Methodologies by which these many facets can be pulled together in quantitative and comparative assessments are the focus of the final report in the ERO series.
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Latimer Square and Radio Networks House (under demolition). IRD building top left and Pacific Tower centre right".
A story submitted by Lin to the QuakeStories website.
A dock by the riverbank walkway alongside New Brighton Road which has been closed off to the public. The area has flooded at high tide due to ground subsidence".
Fallen potplants and jumbled paving bricks outside Stewart Dawsons in Cashel Mall. A public walkway down Colombo Street to a small viewing area in the Square was opened up for a few weekends to allow the public to see inside the Red Zone.
Weeds growing through the paving outside the old Post Office building in Cathedral Square. A public walkway through to a small viewing area in the Square was opened up for a few weekends to allow the public to see inside the Red Zone.
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. Looking down the new Re:Start Mall as the bus goes down Colombo Street.
A photograph of cracks in Gayhurst Road near the intersection with Glenarm Terrace. Liquefaction can be seen on the street, and there is a road cone on a crack in the footpath.
An aerial photograph of the Christchurch City Council Civic Offices and surrounding buildings. The photograph has been captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "The River Avon runs through this photograph and marks the western edge of the red zone".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Detail of the windows in Alice in Videoland. The building was designed with permanence and strength in mind and the new owner intends the fit out to have the same feel of permanence. His aspiration is to build the best coffee house in the world and the largest in Christchurch".
A photograph of the earthquake damage to the entrance of a driveway on Glenarm Terrace. A large hole in the foreground has had a road cone placed inside it. Other large cracks and liquefaction can bee seen. A man in overalls has parked his van next to the damage.
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "The Avon River is at this point on Avonside Drive 10 km from the estuary. At high tide the river now overflows its banks showing that the ground has sunk by about 40 cm".
A photograph of the back page of a Christchurch City Council form. The form allowed contractors to apply for the authorisation to enter the Christchurch Red Zone after the 22 February 2011 earthquake. Information on the back reads, "What does this authorisation mean for me? I am wearing appropriate personal protection clothing and equipment. At all times DO NOT enter any red placarded building. You may enter a yellow placarded building for a period of time (no longer than 30 minutes) and follow the instruction of the escorts. A green placarded building may be accessed for longer periods. Please note: do not enter any buildings which are not for the purpose of your authorisation".
A photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "The Telecom building, the Old Exchange Building and the Old Post Office are all in this photo as well as the Millennium Hotel and a few cranes".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "The view from the top of Alice in Videoland".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "High Street with the remains of the Hotel Grand Chancellor and the Holiday Inn and Westpac building (both under demolition). Manchester Street on the left".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Area around Colombo Street between Cathedral Square (lower right) and Moorhouse Avenue".
A story submitted by Sarah to the QuakeStories website.
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Sam Crofskey of C1 Coffee standing in the ground floor space of the Alice in Videoland that he is fitting out for his coffee roastery and cafe".
Looking east down Hereford Street from Colombo Street. A public walkway down Colombo Street to a small viewing area in the Square was opened up for a few weekends to allow the public to see inside the Red Zone. The partially demolished Grand Chancellor is visible in the background.
Looking down High Street from Colombo Street. A public walkway down Colombo Street to a small viewing area in the Square was opened up for a few weekends to allow the public to see inside the Red Zone. The partially demolished Grand Chancellor is visible in the background.
Warped bike stands and liquefaction silt on the corner of High, Colombo and Hereford streets. A public walkway down Colombo Street to a small viewing area in the Square was opened up for a few weekends to allow the public to see inside the Red Zone.
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.
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "St John the Baptist in Latimer Square - with a clear view of the church and the hall now that the Arrow building is demolished".
A photograph of signs under the rear section of the Forsyth Barr building. The signs reads, "Danger drop zone". In the background is rubble from an earthquake-damaged building . Steel bracing has been constructed around a concrete pillar to the right.
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "The Avon River is at this point on Avonside Drive 10 km from the estuary. At high tide the river now overflows its banks showing that the ground has sunk by about 40 cm".
Severe damage on a New Brighton Road. It had to be reformed and raised up 40 cm. A pile of dried liquefaction has been shovelled onto the footpath. Road cones mark out the uneven surfaces on the road.
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Extensive cracking to the Wainoni Road bridge. There has been a vehicle weight limit of 3500kg placed on the bridge. A person was placed on duty at all times to police this".
An aerial photograph of the Christchurch central city with Armagh Street in the foreground and Christ Church Cathedral in the centre.