A lack of affordable space after Christchurch's earthquake threatens to fracture the city's arts community.
A map of Gap Filler project 18, a mini-golf course around the central city.
Our City O-Tautahi surrounded by bracing and scaffolding, seen from across the Avon river.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Major earthquake hits Christchurch. Army help police on central city cordons".
A PDF copy of pages 268-269 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'CCC Temporary Street Furniture'. Photos with permission: F3 Design
A video of opera singer Placido Domingo meeting the NZSO National Youth Orchestra at the CBS Arena. Domingo talks about his experiences in the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, which claimed the lives of four of his relatives.
A video of an address by Nick Hunt, Managing Director of Lichfield Holdings Ltd, at the 2015 Seismics and the City forum. This talk focuses on commercial development progress, and opportunities and issues in Central Christchurch and beyond.
A PDF copy of pages 228-229 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'Lions Transitional Facility'. Photos: Irene Boles
A video of journalist Charlie Gates introducing the 2014 World Buskers Festival. Gates visits former festival venues in the Christchurch central city and the new performance venues for the 2014 festival, to show how the city has changed since the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes.
A video interview with Christchurch locals, asking what they find beautiful about the post-quake city.
A video interview with Christchurch locals, asking what they find inconvenient about the post-quake city.
Graphs showing the result of an opinion poll on reactions to the Central City Recovery Plan.
A photograph of the Christchurch central city taken from Rhodes Memorial Home on Dyers Pass Road.
A photograph of the Christchurch central city taken from Rhodes Memorial Home on Dyers Pass Road.
Hundreds of sunflowers have been planted in empty Christchurch sites to brighten up the city centre.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Earthquake in Christchurch. Damage to the north west of the city boundary".
A video of water erupting out of a burst water main in the Christchurch central city.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Major earthquake hits Christchurch. Army help the police at central city cordons".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Earthquake in Christchurch. Damage to the north west of the city boundary".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Earthquake in Christchurch. Damage to the North West of the city boundary".
The "White Lights of Hope" spotlights shining into the sky at night from the central city.
The Revival Bar, an inner city container bar which has been created largely from recycled materials.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Major earthquake hits Christchurch. Army help the police at central city cordons".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Major earthquake hits Christchurch. Army help the police at central city cordons".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Major earthquake hits Christchurch. Army help the police at central city cordons".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Major earthquake hits Christchurch. Army help the police at central city cordons".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Major earthquake hits Christchurch. Army help the police at central city cordons".
A PDF copy of pages 312-313 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'Magna Carta Christchurch: The Great Paper Model'. Photos: TEDxEQChch
A PDF copy of pages 322-323 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'The Hope Bear and Giraffing Around'.
This research attempts to understand how the Christchurch rebuild is promoting urban liveability in the Central City, focussing on the influence of communities and neighbourhoods in this area. To do this, gathering the perceptions of Christchurch residents through surveys, a focus group and semi-structured interviews was carried out to see what aspects they believe contribute to creating more liveable places. These methods revealed that there are pockets of neighbourhoods and communities in the inner-city, but no overall sense of community. Results from the semi-structured interviews reinforced this; the current buyers of inner-city property are in the financial position to be able to do this, and they seem to be purchasing in this area due to convenience and investment rather than to join the existing communities in the area. Analysing the survey responses from Central City residents revealed contrasting results. Those currently living in the area felt there is a sense of community in the inner-city, but these are found in pockets of neighbourhoods around the Central City rather than in the overall area. The focus group revealed that community is further prioritised later in life, and that many of the community groups in the inner-city predominantly consist of those who have lived there since before the Christchurch Earthquake Series. However, participants of all three methods believed that the Central City is slowly becoming a lively and vibrant place. To improve urban liveability in the inner-city, it seems that prioritisation of the needs of current inner-city residents is required. Improving these neighbourhoods, whether it be through the implementation of services or providing more communal spaces, is needed to create stronger communities. The feelings of place, connectedness, and belonging that arise from being part of a community or well-connected neighbourhood can improve mental health and wellbeing, ultimately enhancing the overall health of the population as well as the perceived urban liveability of the area.