1 June 2012. File reference: CCL-2012-06-01-IMG_3288 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
1 June 2012. File reference: CCL-2012-06-01- IMG_3282 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
1 June 2012. File reference: CCL-2012-06-01-IMG_3287 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
1 June 2012. File reference: CCL-2012-06-01-IMG_3284 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
1 June 2012. File reference: CCL-2012-06-01-IMG_3285 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
1 June 2012. File reference: CCL-2012-06-01-IMG_3286 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
1 June 2012. File reference: CCL-2012-06-01-IMG_3283 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
1 June 2012. File reference: CCL-2012-06-01-IMG_3291 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
1 June 2012. File reference: CCL-2012-06-01-IMG_3280 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
Friday 22 February 2013. File reference: CCL-2013 -02-22-IMG_4077 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
Friday 22 February 2013. File reference: CCL-2013 -02-22-IMG_4078 From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
An aerial photograph of the children's play area in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens.
A photograph of a large crack in the bed of a garden in Christchurch.
A photograph of cracks in a flower bed in a residential garden in Christchurch.
A cordon of metal fencing and tape blocking the entrance to Cunningham House in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens.
Messages strung on rope by the Peace Bell at the Christchurch Botanic Gardens in commemoration of the anniversary of the 22 February 2011 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2014-02-22-22February2014 DSC_1217.JPG Photo taken by Valerie Livingstone. From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
Flowers left under the Peace Bell at the Christchurch Botanic Gardens in commemoration of the anniversary of the 22 February 2011 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2014-02-22-22February2014 DSC_1215.JPG Photo taken by Valerie Livingstone. From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
Flowers left under the Peace Bell at the Christchurch Botanic Gardens in commemoration of the anniversary of the 22 February 2011 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2014-02-22-22February2014 DSC_1214.JPG Photo taken by Valerie Livingstone. From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
Messages strung on rope by the Peace Bell at the Christchurch Botanic Gardens in commemoration of the anniversary of the 22 February 2011 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2014-02-22-22February2014 DSC_1216.JPG Photo taken by Valerie Livingstone. From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
Messages strung on rope by the Peace Bell at the Christchurch Botanic Gardens in commemoration of the anniversary of the 22 February 2011 earthquake. File reference: CCL-2014-02-22-22February2014 DSC_1218.JPG Photo taken by Valerie Livingstone. From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries.
A photograph of a sign advertising the Festival of Flowers, 17 February to 4 March 2012 at the Christchurch Botanic Gardens.
A photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Two tourists studying a map in the Botanic Gardens. Tourists are seen again in reasonable numbers in Christchurch. Some of the maps are not updated to reflect the changes since the earthquake".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Ching Gardens and Irene Street, Horseshoe Lake".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Ching Gardens and Irene Street, Horseshoe Lake".
Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Otakaro Place, Bexley. A great hole has opened up between the deck and the garden with fissures all over the garden".
Topiary plants presented by the Christchurch Garden City Trust liven up the Re:START Mall.
Topiary plants presented by the Christchurch Garden City Trust liven up the Re:START Mall.
Topiary plants presented by the Christchurch Garden City Trust liven up the Re:START Mall.
A photograph of the damaged Englefield Lodge. The garden is overgrown with weeds.
Numerous studies have shown that urban soils can contain elevated concentrations of heavy metals (HMs). Christchurch, New Zealand, is a relatively young city (150 years old) with a population of 390,000. Most soils in Christchurch are sub-urban, with food production in residential gardens a popular activity. Earthquakes in 2010 and 2011 have resulted in the re-zoning of 630 ha of Christchurch, with suggestions that some of this land could be used for community gardens. We aimed to determine the HM concentrations in a selection of suburban gardens in Christchurch as well as in soils identified as being at risk of HM contamination due to hazardous former land uses or nearby activities. Heavy metal concentrations in suburban Christchurch garden soils were higher than normal background soil concentrations. Some 46% of the urban garden samples had Pb concentrations higher than the residential land use national standard of 210 mg kg⁻¹, with the most contaminated soil containing 2615 mg kg⁻¹ Pb. Concentrations of As and Zn exceeded the residential land use national standards (20 mg kg⁻¹ As and 400 mg kg⁻¹ Zn) in 20% of the soils. Older neighbourhoods had significantly higher soil HM concentrations than younger neighbourhoods. Neighbourhoods developed pre-1950s had a mean Pb concentration of 282 mg kg⁻¹ in their garden soils. Soil HM concentrations should be key criteria when determining the future land use of former residential areas that have been demolished because of the earthquakes in 2010 and 2011. Redeveloping these areas as parklands or forests would result in less human HM exposure than agriculture or community gardens where food is produced and bare soil is exposed.