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.
It is well established that urban green areas provide a wide range of social, aesthetic, environmental and economic benefits. The importance of urban green spaces has been known for decades; however the relationship between urban livability and green areas, as incorporated in overall urban green structure, has become the focus of international studies during the last 10 to 15 years. The spatial structure of green space systems has important consequences for urban form; configuring urban resources, controlling urban size, improving ecological quality of urban areas and preventing or mitigating natural disasters. However, in the field of architecture or urban design, very little work has been done to investigate the potential for built form to define and differentiate the edge to a green corridor ... This thesis therefore poses the hypothesis that architecture and urban design critically mediate between city and green corridor, through intensification and definition of the built edge, as a means of contributing to an ecological city form.
A photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "A view from Worcester Street. A gap has been left by the demolition of the Press building, allowing a view of the Copthorne Christchurch Central Hotel".
A photograph of liquefaction along the footpath in front of St Paul's Church on Gayhurst Road. The church was severely damaged during the 4 September earthquake. Tape has been placed around the building to warn people off.
A photograph of the house at 466 Oxford Terrace. The house number has been spray-painted on one of the windows. Wire fencing has been placed across the front of the property as a cordon.
A photograph of large cracks in the pavement in front of St Paul's School in Dallington. Liquefaction silt can also be seen. Police tape has been draped across the entrance of the building to the left.
A photograph looking through the door of the front room in Donna Allfrey's house at 406 Oxford Terrace to the lounge and kitchen. A bed has been placed in the middle of the lounge.
Liquefaction and flooding in Waitaki Street, Bexley. The photographer comments, "Waitaki Street a week after the Christchurch Earthquake. Because of the damage to the drains and liquefaction in the area the streets are not drying out".
A photograph of Robin Duff's house at 386 Oxford Terrace. Plastic sheeting has been placed over sections of the house to keep it water tight.
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".
A photograph of Donna Allfrey's house at 406 Oxford Terrace. A green sticker on the front door indicates that the house has been inspected and it is safe to enter.
A photograph of Doug Sexton's garden at 378 Oxford Terrace, now overgrown. In the background is his partially-demolished garage. The photographer comments, "Sexton's garden was once published in Small Gardens".
A photograph of Donna Allfrey's house at 406 Oxford Terrace. A green sticker on the front door indicates that the house has been inspected and it is safe to enter.
A photograph of the hallway of Donna Allfrey's house at 406 Oxford Terrace. To the right, a couch has been upturned and placed against a mantelpiece in one of the rooms.
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".
The 2010 and 2011 earthquakes in the region of Canterbury, New Zealand caused widespread damage and the deaths of 185 people. Suburbs on the eastern side of Christchurch and in the satellite town of Kaiapoi, 20 kilometres north of Christchurch, were badly damaged by liquefaction. The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA), a government organisation set up in the wake of the earthquakes, began to systematically zone all residential land in 2011. Based on the possibility for land remediation, 7860 houses in Christchurch and Kaiapoi were zoned red. Those who were in this zone were compensated and had to buy or build elsewhere. The other zone examined within this research – that of TC3 – lies within the green zone. Residents, in this zone, were able to stay in their houses but land was moderately damaged and required site-specific geotechnical investigations. This research sought to understand how residents’ senses of home were impacted by a disaster and the response efforts. Focusing on the TC3 and red zone of the eastern suburbs and the satellite town of Kaiapoi, this study interviewed 29 residents within these zones. The concept of home was explored with the respondents at three scales: home as a household; home as a community; and home as a city. There was a large amount of resistance to the zoning process and the handling of claims by insurance companies and the Earthquake Commission (EQC) after the earthquakes. Lack of transparency and communication, as well as extremely slow timelines were all documented as failings of these agencies. This research seeks to understand how participant’s sense of home changed on an individual level and how it was impacted by outside agencies. Homemaking techniques were also focused on showing that a changed sense of home will impact on how a person interacts with a space.
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'.
At the conclusion of the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes more than 5100 homes had been deemed unsafe for habitation. The land and buildings of these were labelled “red zoned” and are too badly damaged for remediation. These homes have been demolished or are destined for demolition. To assist the red zone population to relocate, central government have offered to ‘buy out’ home owners at the Governmental Value (GV) that was last reviewed in 2007. While generous in the economic context at the time, the area affected was the lowest value land and housing in Christchurch and so there is a capital shortfall between the 2007 property value and the cost of relocating to more expensive properties. This shortfall is made worse by increasing present day values since the earthquakes. Red zone residents have had to relocate to the far North and Western extremities of Christchurch, and some chose to move even further to neighbouring towns or cities. The eastern areas and commercial centres close to the red zone are affected as well. They have lost critical mass which has negatively impacted businesses in the catchments of the Red Zone. This thesis aims to repopulate the suburbs most affected by the abandonment of the red zone houses. Because of the relative scarcity of sound building sites in the East and to introduce affordability to these houses, an alternative method of development is required than the existing low density suburban model. Smart medium density design will be tested as an affordable and appropriate means of living. Existing knowledge in this field will be reviewed, an analysis of what East Christchurch’s key characteristics are will occur, and an examination of built works and site investigations will also be conducted. The research finds that at housing densities of 40 units per hectare, the spatial, vehicle, aesthetic needs of East Christchurch can be accommodated. Centralising development is also found to offer better lifestyle choices than the isolated suburbs at the edges of Christchurch, to be more efficient using existing infrastructure, and to place less reliance on cars. Stronger communities are formed from the outset and for a full range of demographics. Eastern affordable housing options are realised and Christchurch’s ever expanding suburban tendencies are addressed. East Christchurch presently displays a gaping scar of devastated houses that ‘The New Eastside’ provides a bandage and a cure for. Displaced and dispossessed Christchurch residents can be re-housed within a new heart for East Christchurch.
A photograph of the Locke family's partially-deconstructed house at 392 Oxford Terrace. Wire fencing has been placed around the outside of the property. The photographer comments, "The house was deconstructed over three weeks. The materials were then stored in the shipping container until the house was reconstructed at a new site".
A photograph of the Locke family's partially-deconstructed house at 392 Oxford Terrace. Wire fencing has been placed around the outside of the property. The photographer comments, "The house was deconstructed over three weeks. The materials were then stored in the shipping container until the house was reconstructed at a new site".
A photograph of the Locke family's partially-deconstructed house at 392 Oxford Terrace. Wire fencing has been placed around the outside of the property. The photographer comments, "The house was deconstructed over three weeks. The materials were then stored in the shipping container until the house was reconstructed at a new site".
A photograph of the house number spray-painted on the footpath in front of 390 Oxford Terrace. The photographer comments, "The numbers were spray-painted in front of all the properties in the Avon Loop in order to keep track of the property number after the mailboxes were lost or removed".
A photograph of the house number spray-painted on the footpath in front of 372 Oxford Terrace. The photographer comments, "The numbers were spray-painted in front of all the properties in the Avon Loop in order to keep track of the property number after the mailboxes were lost or removed".
A photograph of the house number spray-painted on the footpath in front of 396 Oxford Terrace. The photographer comments, "The numbers were spray-painted in front of all the properties in the Avon Loop in order to keep track of the property number after the mailboxes were lost or removed".
A photograph of the house number spray-painted on the footpath in front of 398 Oxford Terrace. The photographer comments, "The numbers were spray-painted in front of all the properties in the Avon Loop in order to keep track of the property number after the mailboxes were lost or removed".
A photograph of the house number spray-painted on the footpath in front of 422 Oxford Terrace. The photographer comments, "The numbers were spray-painted in front of all the properties in the Avon Loop in order to keep track of the property number after the mailboxes were lost or removed".
A photograph of a house on Glenarm Terrace in Dallington. The chimney fell off the roof during the September earthquake and the bricks are still lying on the ground. A tarpaulin has been placed over the top of the hole to prevent water damage inside the house. Ironically, it has been weighed down with bricks. Spring flowers can be seen in the garden.
A photograph of the Locke family's partially-deconstructed house at 392 Oxford Terrace. Wire fencing has been placed around the outside of the property. The photographer comments, "The house was deconstructed over three weeks. The materials were then stored in the shipping container until the house was reconstructed at a new site".
A photograph of the house number spray-painted on the footpath in front of 424 Oxford Terrace. The photographer comments, "The numbers were spray-painted in front of all the properties in the Avon Loop in order to keep track of the property number after the mailboxes were lost or removed".
An aerial photograph of Fitzgerald Avenue. The photograph has been captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Oxford Terrace on the left side of the River Avon and Fitzgerald Avenue on the right. The street running across the foreground of the photograph is Kilmore Street".