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Videos, UC QuakeStudies

A video of the reopening ceremony for the Heritage Hotel in Cathedral Square, which has been closed since the 22 February 2011 earthquake. The video shows Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae opening the building while a string trio plays. It also includes footage of a speech by the Governor General, and a tour of the hotel.

Research papers, Victoria University of Wellington

In 2010 Neil Challenger, Head of the School of Landscape Architecture at Lincoln University, stated that the malls surrounding Christchurch drove the life out of the inner city of Christchurch. His economic and sociological concerns were expressed even before the earthquake occurred, and this forms the current hesitation on the rebuilding of Christchurch’s inner city.  The position of this research proposal is to establish whether an urban architectural intervention can address these economic and sociological concerns and the potentially devastating effects the suburban mall has had on urban life within Christchurch.  The thesis specifically asks whether establishing a mall typology as a landmark building within the inner city can strategically engage the damaged historic buildings of post-earthquake Christchurch in ways that actively preserve these historic remnants.  The main intention of this research is to engage the damaged historic buildings of post-earthquake Christchurch in ways that actively preserve these remnants and are also economically viable. By preserving the remnants as active, working elements of the urban fabric, they act as historic reminders or memorials of the event and associated loss, while also actively participating in the regrowth of the city. The thesis argues that contemporary architecture can play a strategic role in these imperatives.  Overall this research argues that there exists a distinct requirement for large-scale retail in the inner city urban environment that recognises and responds to the damaged cultural and historic architecture of inner city Christchurch. The objective of the thesis is to propose means to rejuvenate not only the economic vitality of central Christchurch,but also its historic character.

Audio, Radio New Zealand

The Earthquake Commission (EQC) criticised for misleading and inadequate measurements on housing foundations when assessing damage to Canterbury homes; Wellington historic building champions vow to save heritage structure in the capital; the spread of didymo in Fiordland; Defence Force sentencing today after drowning last year; the censorship of Maniac, arty audiences only please, and; the PM changes tack on working with NZ First.

Videos, UC QuakeStudies

A video of the removal of the earthquake-damaged Medway Street bridge from the banks of the Avon River. The video shows members of the Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team removing the bridge and preparing it for transport to the Ferrymead Heritage Park. It will remain at the park until a permanent home can be found for it as an earthquake memorial.

Videos, UC QuakeStudies

A video of an interview with Alison Locke about the Elsie Locke Park in Christchurch which was created to honour her mother. Locke talks about finding out that the park will be replaced, her fears that other heritage sites in Christchurch will be lost, and her belief that her mother would have wanted the Centennial Swimming Pool to be saved. The park will be replaced with The Margaret Mahy Family Playground, which will include a mix of uniquely-designed playground equipment, recreational spaces, community gardens, art pieces, and water features.

Videos, UC QuakeStudies

A video of a tour of the Christchurch central city Red Zone. The video includes footage of the Design and Arts College Building, the Heritage Hotel, Cathedral Junction, the Octagon Live restaurant, Manchester Street, Hereford Street, Bedford Row, High Street, Lichfield Street, the Majestic Theatre, Colombo Street, Cashel Street, Just Jeans and Starbucks on Cashel Street, and Kilmore Street. It also includes footage of residents on a Red Zone bus tour.

Research Papers, Lincoln University

The city of Christchurch, New Zealand, was until very recently a “Junior England”—a small city that still bore the strong imprint of nineteenth-century British colonization, alongside a growing interest in the underlying biophysical setting and the indigenous pre-European landscape. All of this has changed as the city has been subjected to a devastating series of earthquakes, beginning in September 2010, and still continuing, with over 12,000 aftershocks recorded. One of these aftershocks, on February 22, 2011, was very close to the city center and very shallow with disastrous consequences, including a death toll of 185. Many buildings collapsed, and many more need to be demolished for safety purposes, meaning that over 80 percent of the central city will have gone. Tied up with this is the city’s precious heritage—its buildings and parks, rivers, and trees. The threats to heritage throw debates over economics and emotion into sharp relief. A number of nostalgic positions emerge from the dust and rubble, and in one form is a reverse-amnesia—an insistence of the past in the present. Individuals can respond to nostalgia in very different ways, at one extreme become mired in it and unable to move on, and at the other, dismissive of nostalgia as a luxury in the face of more pressing crises. The range of positions on nostalgia represent the complexity of heritage debates, attachment, and identity—and the ways in which disasters amplify the ongoing discourse on approaches to conservation and the value of historic landscapes.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

An aerial photograph looking west over the Arts Centre and Christ's College towards Hagley Park. The photograph has been captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "At the centre of this photo is a group of heritage stone buildings. Canterbury Museum and Christ's College were extensively earthquake strengthened prior to the EQs and re-opened to the public relatively quickly. The Arts Centre is undergoing extensive renovations. Hagley Park and the Botanic Gardens provide a richly colourful surrounding to these historic buildings".