An article from the Media Studies Journal of Aotearoa New Zealand Volume 14, Number 1. The article is titled, "Social Media, Crisis Mapping and the Christchurch Earthquakes of 2011". It was written by Abi Beatson, Angi Buettner, and Tony Schirato.
A pdf copy of a PowerPoint presentation prepared for the Australia New Zealand Geotechnical Engineering Conference.
Imagined landscapes find their form in utopian dreaming. As ideal places, utopias are set up according to the ideals of their designers. Inevitably, utopias become compromised when they move from the imaginary into the actual. Opportunities to create utopias rely largely on a blank slate, a landscape unimpeded by the inconveniences of existing occupation – or even topography. Christchurch has seen two utopian moments. The first was at the time of European settlement in the mid-nineteenth century, when imported ideals provided a model for a new city. The earthquakes of 2010 and 2011 provided a second point at which utopian dreaming spurred visions for the city. Christchurch’s earthquakes have provided a unique opportunity for a city to re-imagine itself. Yet, as is the fate for all imaginary places, reality got in the way.