A photograph of the back of the Christchurch Town Hall, taken from across the river in Victoria Square.
A photograph of the back of the Christchurch Town Hall, taken from across the river in Victoria Square.
A photograph of the back of the Christchurch Town Hall, taken from across the river in Victoria Square.
A photograph of the back of the Christchurch Town Hall, taken from across the river in Victoria Square.
Group action may be taken against the Earthquake Commission over the quality of repairs to damaged Christchurch homes.
A PDF copy of pages 210-211 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'St Luke's Labyrinth'. Page 210 photos: Irene Boles. Page 211 photos: Peter Walker, Three Chairs Photography. With permission from Student Volunteer Army Foundation.
A dissertation by Lev Zhuravsky submitted as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Health Sciences Endorsed in Health Management, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Earthquakes rupture not only the objective realm of the physical landscape, but also the subjective landscape of emotions. Using the concepts of topophilia and topophobia developed by Yi-Fu Tuan as theories of love and fear of place, this paper investigates the impact of Christchurch’s earthquakes of 2010 and 2011 on relationships with the city’s landscape. Published accounts of the earthquakes in newspapers from around New Zealand are examined for evidence of how people responded to the situation, in particular their shifting relationship with familiar landscapes. The reports illustrate how residents and visitors reacted to the actual and perceived changes to their surroundings, grappling with how a familiar place had become alien and often startling. The extreme nature of the event and the death toll of 185 heightened perceptions of the landscape, and even the most taken-for-granted elements of the landscape became amplified in significance. Enhanced understanding of the landscape of emotions is a vital component of wellbeing. Through recognising that the impact of disasters and perceived threats to familiar places has a profound emotional effect, the significance of sense of place to wellbeing can be appreciated.
This study followed two similarly affected, but socio-economically disparate suburbs as residents responded to and attempted to recover from the devastating 6.3 magnitude earthquake that struck Christchurch, New Zealand, on February 22, 2011. More specifically, it focuses on the role of local churches, community-based organisations (CBOs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), here referred to broadly as civil society, in meeting the immediate needs of local residents and assisting with the longer-term recovery of each neighbourhood. Despite considerable socioeconomic differences between the two neighbourhoods, civil society in both suburbs has been vital in addressing the needs of locals in the short and long term following the earthquake. Institutions were able to utilise local knowledge of both residents and the extent of damage in the area to a) provide a swifter local response than government or civil defence and then help direct the relief these agencies provided locally; b) set up central points for distribution of supplies and information where locals would naturally gather; c) take action on what were perceived to be unmet needs; and d) act as a way of bridging locals to a variety of material, informational, and emotional resources. However the findings also support literature which indicates that other factors are also important in understanding neighbourhood recovery and the role of civil society, including: local leadership; a shared, place-based identity; the type and form of civil society organizations; social capital; and neighbourhood- and household-level indicators of relative vulnerability and inequality. The intertwining of these various factors seems to influence how these neighbourhoods have coped with and taken steps in recovering from this disaster. It is recommended that future research be directed at developing a better understanding of how this occurs. It is suggested that a model similar to Yasui’s (2007) Community Vulnerability and Capacity model be developed as a useful way to approach future research in this area.
These have been thrown in the Avon River
A photograph of food vendors at Re:START mall.
Exactly 75 years ago today, Superman made his debut in "Action Comics" No. 1. Campaigners for the restoration of the Christchurch Cathedral are "thrilled" that rebuilding the earthquake-damaged church remains on the table. The Press reports Christchurch's hotel shortage is so critical that at times visitor centre staff have had to put tourists up in their own homes.
A photograph of two people in front of the base of the John Robert Godley statue in Cathedral Square. The base of the statue has scaffolding and loudspeakers around it, for a Canterbury Tales performance as part of FESTA 2013. In the background is the damaged Christchurch Cathedral and the art installation 'Planted Whare' by Chris Heaphy.
A photograph of the large-scale puppets titled The Scholar and The Wife of Bath. The puppets are in Cathedral Square. Lying on the left are heads and hands of The Friars. The puppets were part of the Canterbury Tales procession. Canterbury Tales was created by Free Theatre Christchurch, and was the main event of FESTA 2013.
A PDF copy of pages 212-213 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project '500 Days: Churchill Park'. Photos: Peter Walker, Three Chairs Photography. With permission from Volunteer Army Foundation.
A PDF copy of pages 204-205 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'Four Corners Youth Space'. Page 204 photos: Irene Boles. Page 205 photos: Peter Walker, Three Chairs Photography. With permission from Student Volunteer Army Foundation.
A PDF copy of pages 170-171 of the book Christchurch: The Transitional City Pt IV. The pages document the transitional project 'As Far As Eye Can See'. Photos: Gap Filler
A photograph of a large-scale puppet titled The Knight, which is part of the Canterbury Tales procession. The puppet is on the back of a truck which is entering a Re:START mall car park. Canterbury Tales was created by Free Theatre Christchurch, and was the main event of FESTA 2013.
A photograph of the Transitional Cathedral.
Christchurch airport's annual profit has fallen 6 per cent after losing nearly half a million passengers following the earthquakes.
One of the areas most affected by the February earthquake was the port town of Lyttelton, south of Christchurch.
An aerial photograph looking south of the Christchurch CBD. Christ Church Cathedral can be seen in the centre left.
A photograph of the NG Building on Madras Street.
A photograph of a colourful painted wall in Re:START mall.
High rise developments dominate skylines and are contentious in many low rise urban environments. Christchurch is no exception and its residents have historically been vocal in articulating their opinions on matters they care about, especially in regard to projects they perceive will ruin their ‘garden city’. At the turn of the millennium, developers were preparing yet another proposal which would get the tongues wagging in Christchurch with the development of the former Ferrymead Tavern site on Ferry Road. The planning process was a long and antagonistic one with many individuals viewing the built towers with a look of ‘disgust’ and discontent. In an ironic twist, the seismic activity in Christchurch over the last few years which has had major implications for a range of planning issues, incrementally led to the death of highly controversial Ferrymead ‘Water’s Edge’ Apartments.
A photograph of Gap Filler's Gap Golf hole number 18, "Manee Street Pinball".
A photograph of retail shops in colourful shipping containers at Re:START Mall.
A photograph of a plaque dedicate to those who lost their lives in City Mall during the earthquake of 22 February 2011. The plague is located under a tree in Re:START mall.
A photograph of retail shops in colourful shipping containers at Re:START Mall.
A photograph of a colourful painted shipping container near Re:START mall.