Job fears intensify in Taranaki after the breadmaker Yarrows strikes trouble, Rugby World Cup organisers admit tickets are a tough sell, The former Bosnian Serb military commander is taken to The Hague to stand trial for war crimes,If earthquakes weren't damaging enough, jobs go in Christchurch as a bus manufacturer goes into liquidation.
Text above reads 'Central Christchurch business owners protest' and the words 'Cordon Blur' (wordplay on famous cookery schools 'Cordon Bleu' and 'blur' as in 'unclear'). The cartoon shows a striped barrier bearing the words 'KEEP OUT' that is being torn to pieces. A second version continues the text to read 'Central Christchurch business owners protest as future directions unclear'. Context - Protests from angry Christchurch business owners locked out of the damaged CBD have intensified today, with police physically intervening when several protesters went inside the cordon. They are worried about the state of their businesses inside the red zone, and say they have not been allowed in to collect critical records and basic tools so they can carry on working outside the cordon. (NZ Herald 21 March 2011) Quantity: 2 digital cartoon(s).
The aftermath of three earthquakes has forced Christchurch to re-plan and rebuild. New perspectives of a sustainable city have arisen granting Christchurch the chance of becoming an example to the world. This work is centred on bioclimatic landscape design as a base for greening strategies. It deals with strategic landscape design adapted to a specific climate, from a user’s perspective. The investigation will be applied to Christchurch’s urban centres, assessing cultural adaptability to the local climate and implications for landscape design. Climatic data shows that humidity is not a local problem. However, the wind is the determinant. In Christchurch the solar radiation and the prevailing winds are the most important microclimatic variables, the latter intensifying the loss of surface heat, decreasing the radiant temperature and affecting thermal sensation. The research objective is to explore design parameters at the street-scale and identify ways to maximise thermal comfort in outdoor spaces through design-based strategies. The investigation will apply methods of participant observation, depth interviews, climatic data collection and design experimentation based on thermal comfort models and computer simulation tools. Case study sites chosen for investigation are places with current levels of activity that may be anticipated in the rebuild of the central city. The research will have two main outcomes: improved understanding of local urban culture adaptation to microclimate, and a demonstration of how design can enhance adaption. These outcomes will inform designers and city managers about good design practices and strategies that can be used to ensure a long term liveable city.