The banks of the Avon River along Avonside Drive have been built up with gravel. In the distance, portaloos and road cones can be seen.
Flowers float down the Avon River during the River of Flowers memorial event. The photographer comments, "One year on, Riverside residents gather for a 2 minute silence and to cast flowers in the river. Riverside residents met at the Medway St bridge to commemorate the anniversary of the 22/2/11 quake".
The Canterbury region of New Zealand experienced a sequence of strong earthquakes during 2010-2011. Responses included government acquisition of many thousands of residential properties in the city of Christchurch in areas with severe earthquake effects. A large and contiguous tract of this ‘red zoned’ land lies in close proximity to the Ōtākaro / Avon River and is known as the Avon-Ōtākaro Red Zone (AORZ). The focus of this study was to provide an overview of the floodplain characteristics of the AORZ and review of international experience in ecological restoration of similar river margin and floodplain ecosystems to extract restoration principles and associated learnings. Compared to pre-earthquake ground levels, the dominant trend in the AORZ is subsidence, together with lateral movement especially in the vicinity of waterway. An important consequence of land subsidence in the lower Ōtākaro / Avon River is greater exposure to flooding and the effects of sea level rise. Scenario modelling for sea level rise indicates that much of the AORZ is exposed to inundation within a 100 year planning horizon based on a 1 m sea level rise. As with decisions on built infrastructure, investments in nature-based ‘green infrastructure’ also require a sound business case including attention to risks posed by climate change. Future-proofing of the expected benefits of ecological restoration must therefore be secured by design. Understanding and managing the hydrology and floodplain dynamics are vital to the future of the AORZ. However, these characteristics are shared by other floodplain and river restoration projects worldwide. Identifying successful approaches provides a useful a source of useful information for floodplain planning in the AORZ. This report presents results from a comparative case study of three international examples to identify relevant principles for large-scale floodplain management at coastal lowland sites.
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Avonside Drive".
A sewage pump and flooding on Avonside Drive.
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "New Brighton Road".
An aerial photograph of Avonside and its surrounding suburbs.
An army truck travelling down a gravel road in Avonside. To the right is a digger which has been used to fix the road.
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".
People cast flowers into the Avon River during the River of Flowers event held in Riccarton Bush, commemorating the second anniversary of the 22 February earthquake. In the background is the string quartet from Christchurch Girls High School which played before the event.
People cast flowers into the Avon River during the River of Flowers event held in Riccarton Bush, commemorating the second anniversary of the 22 February earthquake. In the background is the string quartet from Christchurch Girls High School which played before the event.
People cast flowers into the Avon River during the River of Flowers event held in Riccarton Bush, commemorating the second anniversary of the 22 February earthquake. In the background is the string quartet from Christchurch Girls High School which played before the event.
A gravel walkway in the process of being paved next to the Avon River. On the side are piles of dirt that has been dug up to make way for the walkway.
A gravel walkway in the process of being paved next to the Avon River. On the side are piles of dirt that has been dug up to make way for the walkway.
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Avonside".
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".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Kate Sheppard memorial, near the former Municipal Chambers on the Avon Riverbank".
A woman casts flowers into the Avon River during the River of Flowers event held in Riccarton Bush, commemorating the second anniversary of the 22 February earthquake. In the background is the string quartet from Christchurch Girls High School which played before the event.
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 people wearing high vis jackets gathered on Oxford Terrace for a briefing before Canterbury Tales. Canterbury Tales was created by Free Theatre Christchurch, and was the main event of FESTA 2013.
A photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "A view looking into the central city from the banks of the River Avon just below the Colombo Street bridge".
A photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "A residential property on Dallington Terrace".
A photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "A residential property on Dallington Terrace".
A photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "A residential property on Dallington Terrace".
A photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "A residential property on Dallington Terrace".
A photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "A residential property on Dallington Terrace".
A photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "A residential property on Dallington Terrace".
A photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "A residential property on Dallington Terrace".
A photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "A residential property on Dallington Terrace".
A photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "A residential property on Lois Place".