Case Study on a Local Scale - Christchurch 2011 Flashcards
What was the human cost of the 2011 earthquake?
181 people were killed
Thousands lost their homes
- an area four times the size of Hyde Park was deemed uninhabitable.
what did the New Zealand government propose in the wake of the disaster?
They proposed ‘The Blueprint’ - a plan to help the city recover and develop into a remodeled, 21st century city.
Physical nature - what was the cause of the most death?
the collapse of two office blocks
physical nature - why were the street clogged for weeks
liquefaction of the soil had produced 40,000 tonnes of silt.
physical nature - how has the landscape of Christchurch changed?
- a significant number of buildings have been demolished since the earthquake leaving behind empty, unused spaces.
- Landmarks like the Christchurch Cathedral stand in ruin as a reminder of the physical damage of the earthquake.
character of the community - how is it changing?
70% of the CBD collapsed, so there is significant rebuilding to be done - there is division as to whether Christchurch should be rebuilt as it was or should be re imagined.
The cathedral was scheduled to be demolished but community outrage now has it awaiting restoration.
- Coralie Winn (a creative professional) establish ‘Gap Fillers’ to place creative projects in vacant spaces within Christchurch.
- Most people are unfamiliar with how the city used to be.
character of the community - how is it changing?
70% of the CBD collapsed, so there is significant rebuilding to be done - there is division as to whether Christchurch should be rebuilt as it was or should be re imagined.
The cathedral was scheduled to be demolished but community outrage now has it awaiting restoration.
- Coralie Winn (a creative professional) establish ‘Gap Fillers’ to place creative projects in vacant spaces within Christchurch.
- Most people are unfamiliar with how the city used to be.
community response - how did the new mayor view the situation? particularly in regards to retail?
she recognized an opportunity to address the fundamental flaws of the old city, particularly how inner city retail was losing out to suburban malls.
community response - how did the new mayor, Lianne Dalziel, advocate a bottom up approach?
“Building a resilient city starts at the grassroots”
- Some have advocated a return to “village values” whereby services are less centralised to increase resilience. Many community organisations have sprung up to represent the needs of local people and assist in the rebuilding.
governance - how has responsibility for the rebuilding changed?
Christchurch City Council drew up a recovery plan, but the NZ government decided to take overall control of the rebuilding.
- They then set up the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) - a single purpose organisation to oversee the rebuilding.
governance - how has CERA made mistakes?
Cera has been accused of working too hurriedly and not working to the highest standard - a significant number of homeowners have been told their homes are in uninhabitable areas despite previously being told they could stay.
- CERA has been accused of being too top down
how did CERA respond to allegations of being excessively top down?
they developed the city’s first urban blueprint, taking in 106,000 ideas from across the community.
what has been the impact of Coralie Winn’s Gap Fillers Project
a more buoyant, engaged community spirit acting more spontaneously to improve the city on a temporary basis.
what is the mantra for the New Christchurch?
“greener, more compact, more accessible and safer”
how much will the new Christchurch cost?
£20 billion - about 20% of NZ’s GDP
