A Christchurch community board member says government changes to a scheme helping owners of earthquake-damaged homes shows they don't understand what claimants are dealing with. Community board member Ali Jones spoke to Guyon Espiner.
Natural disasters are often unpredictable and are happening frequently. Some natural disasters cause damage to communities, resulting in displaced individuals. Due to this there is a need for shelter, however, there are many unknown factors. These include unknown demographics, a strain on time, cost, and resources, and the unknown location. This study begins by identifying a lack of identity and personality in existing post-disaster shelter designs, including the example of Linwood Park from the Christchurch 2011 earthquake. Further research shows the lack of personalisation within shelters, along with addressing key requirements needed for shelters. While providing the basic needs is essential, this thesis also addresses how personalisation can impact a space. Taking bach architecture as a driver for a basic, yet unique approach to temporary accommodation, Lake Clearwater Settlement was used as a case study. Through surveys, interviews, and a reflective design process, the importance of embracing identity emerges as a key element in fostering dignity, livelihood, and a sense of self in displaced individuals. This thesis explores innovative approaches to post-disaster shelter design with a focus on accommodating the unique needs and individuality of displaced individuals. From challenging conventional shelter concepts to embracing self-design and community involvement, the research addresses the question of how interior and exterior features can cater to the diverse requirements of those affected by natural disasters.
This thesis revisits the topic of earthquake recovery in Christchurch City more than a decade after the Canterbury earthquakes. Despite promising visions of a community reconnected and a sustainable and liveable city, significant portions of the city’s core – the Red Zone – remain dilapidated and “eerily empty”. At the same time, new developments in other areas have proven to be alienated or underutilised. Currently, the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority’s plans for the rebuilding highlight the delivery of more residential housing to re-populate the city centre. However, prevalent approaches to housing development in Christchurch are ineffective for building an inclusive and active community. Hence, the central inquiry of the thesis is how the development of housing complexes can revitalise the Red Zone within the Christchurch city centre. The inquiry has been carried out through a research-through-design methodology, recognising the importance of an in-depth investigation that is contextualised and combined with the intuition and embodied knowledge of the designer. The investigation focuses on a neglected site in the Red Zone in the heart of Christchurch city, with significant Victorian and Edwardian Baroque heritage buildings, including Odeon Theatre, Lawrie & Wilson Auctioneers, and Sol Square, owned by The Regional Council Environment Canterbury. The design inquiry argues, develops, and is carried through a place-assemblage lens to housing development for city recovery, which recognizes the significance of socially responsive architecture that explores urban renewal by forging connections within the social network. Therefore, place-assemblage criteria and methods for developing socially active and meaningful housing developments are identified. Firstly, this thesis argues that co-living housing models are more focused on people relations and collective identity than the dominant developer-driven housing rebuilds, as they prioritise conduits for interaction and shared social meaning and practices. Secondly, the adaptive reuse of derelict heritage structures is proposed to reinvigorate the urban fabric, as heritage is seen to be conceived as and from a social assemblage of people. The design is realised by the principles outlined in the ICOMOS charter, which involves incorporating the material histories of existing structures and preserving the intangible heritage of the site by ensuring the continuity of cultural practices. Lastly, design processes and methods are also vital for place-sensitive results, which pay attention to the site’s unique characteristics to engage with local stakeholders and communities. The research explores place-assemblage methods of photographic extraction, the drawing of story maps, precedent studies, assemblage maps, bricolages, and paper models, which show an assembly of layers that piece together the existing heritage, social conduits, urban commons and housing to conceptualise the social network within its place
- The Avon-Ōtākaro Redzone is an 11 kilometer stretch of land along the Avon-Ōtākaro River in Christchurch. - This project focused on the creation of a publicly available biodiversity map of the AvonŌtākaro River Corridor, a project undertaken as part of the ecological restoration of the Christchurch redzone. - This project originated from the Christchurch 2010-2011 earthquake sequence which saw liquefaction damage along 11km of the Avon River. Under guidance from The Nature Lab & Ōtākaro Living Laboratory, and various other experts, the primary research objective was to map historical biodiversity, identify hotspots, and assess areas for potential revegetation. - The data collected came from historical black maps, current iNaturalist data, and soil classification information. - The findings show that, pre-colonialism, the area was composed of herbaceous areas, wetlands, native shrubland, and tussock land, with key plants such as river, fern, tutu, and cabbage trees. - The post-earthquake analysis shows a transition from a residential area to patchy grasslands and swampy areas. - The findings also showed a strong relationship between historic sites and soil classifications, providing knowledge for past and future vegetation patterns and spread. - This map will be a valuable resource for conservation efforts and public engagement as the area transitions into a blue-green corridor.
From small coastal settlements to large cities, communities are exposed to both the direct and indirect consequences of climate-change induced sea-level rise (SLR). Above the ground surface, short- and long-term coastal effects of SLR are visible and cause damage from flooding, erosion, and loss of habitats and ecosystems. Below the ground surface, the effects are less visible but nonetheless extensive. Groundwater is present at shallow depth in the coastal zone and the effects of SLR on shallow groundwater threaten water security, agricultural production and infrastructure. Groundwater flooding, a hydrological hazard results from the process of water table rise, where the groundwater surface intersects or goes above the land surface due to changing conditions. The coastal zone is a complex dynamic space between saltwater and freshwater environments above and below the ground surface, and coastal groundwater hazards are intensified due to SLR. However, current monitoring of coastal shallow groundwater levels and salinity does not occur sufficiently to mitigate and adapt to the groundwater hazard. This thesis provides insights into the dynamics of coastal shallow groundwater, urban monitoring networks, simulations of water table rise and the issues posed by shallow groundwater changes driven by SLR and effects on flooding. The first study reviewed processes of coastal groundwater rise and simulation tools used to evaluate possible impacts of SLR. The benefits and limitations of the two main methods to assess coastal groundwater rise and its contribution to flooding - spatial interpolation and numerical tools - were discussed. The review highlighted the need for methodology comparisons between spatial interpolation and numerical tools to guide future work. The simulation tools that are used to evaluate changes in urban hydrogeology due to SLR do not specifically estimate groundwater flooding. Current monitoring practices do not capture evidence for groundwater rise with SLR. Therefore, the assessment methods need to rely on improved coastal groundwater monitoring networks focused on water quality, saltwater intrusion, and continuous groundwater levels records near the coastline, tidally influenced surface water bodies, and critical infrastructure. The second study focused on an urban shallow groundwater monitoring network and assessed its development, current physical condition and usefulness for SLR research. Following the 2010-2011 Canterbury Earthquake Sequence, in Otautahi Christchurch, ¯ Aotearoa New Zealand, shallow groundwater data acquisition and establishment of a geotechnical database provided unprecedented information on subsurface conditions. The monitoring infrastructure provided high spatio-temporal resolution records of shallow groundwater levels, which opened the field of New Zealand-based urban groundwater studies. Field surveys and digital information reviews showed that the monitoring net work was in overall good condition and robust, despite some maintenance issues. The dataset held by the city and regional councils should be more widely used to benefit the community, urban water management, researchers and practitioners, facing decisions to adapt and protect coastal areas from the impacts of climate change and SLR. The third study determined characteristics of shallow groundwater, including spatial and temporal trends in depths to groundwater and their relationship to natural and an thropogenic stressors. The study used depth to groundwater measurements from the uniquely extensive and densely spaced monitoring network in Otautahi Christchurch, ¯ Aotearoa New Zealand. Data-driven analysis approaches were applied, including spa tial interpolation, autocorrelation, clustering, cross-correlation, and trend analysis. This comprehensive approach revealed discernible clusters and trends within the dataset, pro viding valuable insights into the spatial and temporal variability of shallow groundwater in urban coastal settings. Responses to stresses such as rainfall events and stream flow were successfully classified using clustering analysis, while anthropogenic influences were more challenging. The primary feature in hydrograph classification proved to be the prox imity to tidal rivers and their correlation with tidal signals. This study highlighted the importance of monitoring coastal groundwater and the need for a better understanding of its effects on urban infrastructure and the built environment. The fourth study focused on simulating the effects of SLR on water table rise. These processes may lead to groundwater flooding and infrastructure challenges. A numerical model was used to assess the transient water table movement in response to SLR. Various SLR scenarios and rates were used to simulate the magnitudes and rates of water table rise, considering a range of aquifer parameters for both fixed-head and fixed-flux inland boundary conditions. The magnitudes and rates of water table rise were always less than but proportional to SLR and decreased with distance from the coastline. The magnitude and rate of water table rise in response to SLR were the largest for fixed flux inland boundary conditions, but it takes a long time for conditions to equilibrate. Fixed-flux conditions were found to pose a greater hazard as the maximum impact may not be experienced for decades, posing challenges to planners and managers of coastal groundwater systems. Adding a drain reduced the magnitude and rate of water table rise, more on the inland side than on the coastal side. The final study examined the key impacts of SLR on coastal shallow groundwater, and subsequent challenges faced by infrastructure asset managers. The study showed that current and future issues such as saltwater intrusion, flooding, and earthquake liquefaction hazard due to groundwater are exacerbated by climate change-driven SLR. A key issue is determining who will take responsibility for shallow groundwater management in areas with multiple and overlapping local government jurisdictions. Another key finding is that current techniques to manage groundwater in infrastructure construction/operation and land management will be applied in future, and challenges to coastal infrastructure adaptation will be posed by political and economic considerations rather than technical understanding.
Recent surface-rupturing earthquakes in New Zealand have highlighted significant exposure and vulnerability of the road network to fault displacement. Understanding fault displacement hazard and its impact on roads is crucial for mitigating risks and enhancing resilience. There is a need for regional-scale assessments of fault displacement to identify vulnerable areas within the road network for the purposes of planning and prioritising site-specific investigations. This thesis employs updated analysis of data from three historical surface-rupturing earthquakes (Edgecumbe 1987, Darfield 2010, and Kaikoūra 2016) to develop an empirical model that addresses the gap in regional fault displacement hazard analysis. The findings contribute to understanding of • How to use seismic hazard model inputs for regional fault displacement hazard analysis • How faulting type and sediment cover affects the magnitude and spatial distribution of fault displacement • How the distribution of displacement and regional fault displacement hazard is impacted by secondary faulting • The inherent uncertainties and limitations associated with employing an empirical approach at a regional scale • Which sections of New Zealand’s roading network are most susceptible to fault displacement hazard and warrant site-specific investigations • Which regions should prioritise updating emergency management plans to account for post-event disruptions to roading. I used displacement data from the aforementioned historical ruptures to generate displacement versus distance-to-fault curves for various displacement components, fault types, and geological characteristics. Using those relationships and established relationships for along-strike displacement, displacement contours were generated surrounding active faults within the NZ Community Fault Model. Next, I calculated a new measure of 1D strain along roads as well as relative hazard, which integrated 1D strain and normalised slip rate data. Summing these values at the regional level identified areas of heightened relative hazard across New Zealand, and permits an assessment of the susceptibility of road networks using geomorphon land classes as proxies for vulnerability. The results reveal that fault-parallel displacements tend to localise near the fault plane, while vertical and fault-perpendicular displacements sustain over extended distances. Notably, no significant disparities were observed in off-fault displacement between the hanging wall and footwall sides of the fault, or among different surface geology types, potentially attributed to dataset biases. The presence of secondary faulting in the dataset contributes to increased levels of tectonic displacement farther from the fault, highlighting its significance in hazard assessments. Furthermore, fault displacement contours delineate broader zones around dip-slip faults compared to strike-slip faults, with correlations identified between fault length and displacement width. Road ‘strain’ values are higher around dip-slip faults, with notable examples observed in the Westland and Buller Districts. As expected, relative hazard analysis revealed elevated values along faults with high slip rates, notably along the Alpine Fault. A regional-scale analysis of hazard and exposure reveals heightened relative hazard in specific regions, including Wellington, Southern Hawke’s Bay, Central Bay of Plenty, Central West Coast, inland Canterbury, and the Wairau Valley of Marlborough. Notably, the Central West Coast exhibits the highest summed relative hazard value, attributed to the fast-slipping Alpine Fault. The South Island generally experiences greater relative hazard due to larger and faster-slipping faults compared to the North Island, despite having fewer roads. Central regions of New Zealand face heightened risk compared to Southern or Northern regions. Critical road links intersecting high-slipping faults, such as State Highways 6, 73, 1, and 2, necessitate prioritisation for site-specific assessments, emergency management planning and targeted mitigation strategies. Roads intersecting with the Alpine Fault are prone to large parallel displacements, requiring post-quake repair efforts. Mitigation strategies include future road avoidance of nearby faults, modification of road fill and surface material, and acknowledgement of inherent risk, leading to prioritised repair efforts of critical roads post-quake. Implementing these strategies enhances emergency response efforts by improving accessibility to isolated regions following a major surface-rupturing event, facilitating faster supply delivery and evacuation assistance. This thesis contributes to the advancement of understanding fault displacement hazard by introducing a novel regional, empirical approach. The methods and findings highlight the importance of further developing such analyses and extending them to other critical infrastructure types exposed to fault displacement hazard in New Zealand. Enhancing our comprehension of the risks associated with fault displacement hazard offers valuable insights into various mitigation strategies for roading infrastructure and informs emergency response planning, thereby enhancing both national and global infrastructure resilience against geological hazards.