A photograph of the partially-demolished Hagley Hostel on Riccarton Avenue. A crane and an excavator are parked in front of the building. Wire fences and shipping containers have been placed around the outside as a cordon.
The Canterbury earthquakes, which involved widespread damage in the February 2011 event and ongoing aftershocks near the Christchurch central business district (CBD), presented decision-makers with many recovery challenges. This paper identifies major government decisions, challenges, and lessons in the early recovery of Christchurch based on 23 key-informant interviews conducted 15 months after the February 2011 earthquake. It then focuses on one of the most important decisions – maintaining the cordon around the heavily damaged CBD – and investigates its impacts. The cordon displaced 50,000 central city jobs, raised questions about (and provided new opportunities for) the long-term viability of downtown, influenced the number and practice of building demolitions, and affected debris management; despite being associated with substantial losses, the cordon was commonly viewed as necessary, and provided some benefits in facilitating recovery. Management of the cordon poses important lessons for planning for catastrophic urban earthquakes around the world.
The tram stop in Cathedral Square seen through a cordon fence.
A map of the CBD cordon as of 22 March 2011.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Destruction in the cordoned off red zone".
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Destruction in the cordoned off red zone".
Cordon on Manchester Street in central Christchurch following the September earthquake.
A "Road Closed" sign outside the City cordon on Colombo Street.
TimeZone and McDonalds inside the cordon on Colombo Street.
A damaged house inside the CBD cordon seen through a fence.
Cordon fence at the corner of Gloucester Street and Oxford Terrace.
View down High Street, with building on the left cordoned off.
Damage to the Mona Vale Homestead which has been cordoned off.
Damage to the Mona Vale Homestead which has been cordoned off.
Footpath cordoned off due to damage to buildings on Riccarton Road.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Destruction in the cordoned off red zone".
A woman taking photographs beside the cordon fence on Armagh Street.
Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Destruction in the cordoned off red zone".
A view into the city cordon from approximately 333 Manchester Street.
A view into the city cordon from approximately 333 Manchester Street.
A photograph of the house at 424 Oxford Terrace. The glass and casings of the windows have been removed. Wire fencing has been placed across the front of the property as a cordon.
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 view down Hereford Street to Manchester Street past a cordon checkpoint.
Damaged shops on Colombo Street cordoned off with fencing and police tape.
The Grant Thornton building in Cathedral Square seen through the cordon fence.
The damaged Country Theme shop behind cordon fencing on St Asaph Street.
Looking down Barbadoes Street, where sections of the streets are cordoned off.
A city apartment complex and the Christchurch Casino inside the cordon fence.
A photograph of the site of a demolished building on the corner of Bealey Avenue and Victoria Street. Wire fencing has been placed around the site as a cordon. Signs on the fence indicate that many of the businesses which were in the area have moved and are still open.
A video of members of the New Zealand Police and the New Zealand Army guarding cordons in the Christchurch central city after the 4 September 2010 earthquake. The video also includes footage of a helicopter flying over the central city.