Steve Lawrence Photograph 01

Images, UC QuakeStudies

The damaged Country Theme shop behind cordon fencing on St Asaph Street.

Fairfax Media Image: Lawrence Smith 2010:09:10 11:50:27

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch begins the slow recovery process after last weeks devastating 7.1 earthquake. The Country Theme Building on Manchester Street is due for demolition".

Fairfax Media Image: Lawrence Smith 2010:09:10 11:49:51

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Photograph captioned by Fairfax, "Christchurch begins the slow recovery process after last weeks devastating 7.1 earthquake. The Country Theme Building on Manchester Street is due for demolition".

Social cohesion: an investigation into post-earthquake Christchurch

Research Papers, Lincoln University

While there are varying definitions of the term ‘social cohesion’, a number of common themes regularly surface to describe what cohesive societies look like. Previous studies using known indicators of social cohesion have often been conducted at the international level for cross-country comparison, while there has been less focus on social cohesion within countries. The purpose of this research is to identify if indicators of social cohesion can be used to map trends at the city level in order to draw meaningful conclusions, particularly in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Using known indicators of social cohesion and Christchurch City as the basis for this study, variations in social cohesion have been found within the city wards, that preceded but were affected by the events of the Canterbury earthquakes during 2010/11. These findings have significant policy implications for the future of Christchurch, as city leaders work towards the recovery of and subsequent rebuilding of communities.