Pruebas en pacientes

IMPACTS

• Intense vertical and horizontal movement and land subsidence resulted in collapse or irreparable damage to more than 1000 build-

ings in the central city and causing damage more than 100,000 homes in Greater Christchurch.

• More than 200,000 tonnes of liquefaction silt bubbled out from the ground and smothered roads and properties while at the same time turning the ground to soup, causing buildings to sink into the ground (3NEWS, 2011).

• Un-reinforced masonry buildings were the most severely affected buildings in the earthquakes. Steel and timber frames were the most resilient although some still suffered damage and a few required demolitions (Akguzel et al., 2011).

• Schools: Following the February quake, all 163 primary and secondary schools all were closed for at least 2-4 weeks while inspec-

tions were carried out (Kam et al., 2011). 24 required repair work and 11 were seriously damaged (Gilbert, 2011).

• Tertiary Institutes: Canterbury University was damaged in the September earthquake, and sustained further damage in February (Stevenson et al., 2011). Lincoln University had some damage to older masonry buildings in the September earthquake and sustained only minor damages in February. CPIT buildings were not damaged in either earthquake; however Natcoll and a number of other central city tertiary providers had their premises destroyed.

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FIGURE 2-9: PUBLIC MAKING DESPARATE RESCUE EFFORTS IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE FEBRUARY EARTHQUAKE.

IMPLICATIONS FOR LANDSCAPE

The extensive impacts to built form have major implications for landscape. The the large portion of urban landscape within the city that is now deemed unsuitable for redevelopment will cause a major shift in patterns of urban form and open space. Liquefaction has been the most significant problem especially in the eastern suburbs where a lot of the development was built on reclaimed wetlands adjacent to the Avon and Heathcote Rivers. It is in these areas that most of the land will be abandoned and require a change of land-use. This presents multiple issues of where the relocated people and businesses go, and what to do with the abandoned land. Previous urban development plans had not expected such rapid new development, particularly in the absence of the central city. Hence there is huge pressure to allow for greenfield development in undamaged outskirts of the city, and previously quiet suburban centres are booming with new unplanned development. There are major landscape implications that present themselves with a shifting population which are discussed further in chapter three.

Another major implication for landscape is the overwhelming amount of debris and waste created by the destroyed buildings. Waste has major implications for the environment which is increasingly polluted with non-biodegradable waste. Furthermore, the embodied energy within the building material is completely wasted as new materials are manufactured and used to construct new buildings. Waste management is a huge sustainability issue that therefore crosses over as an implication for landscape and the state of the environment. Furthermore, the waste created in constructing cheap, temporary or quickly constructed buildings is of major concern to long term sustain-

ability objectives.

Perhaps most positive implication is the fact that rebuilding presents a huge opportunity to re-design major portions of the city and change pre-existing patterns of urban form that previously made it difficult to achieve goals of sustainable and character rich urban form. Within the CBD, approximately 1000 of the 4000 building are to be demolished as a result of earthquake damage. This presents a major opportunity to re-design the central city as a far more resilient, sustainable and vibrant residential, entertainment and business district than prior to the earthquakes. The same goes for many of Christchurch suburban centres such as Sydenham, Lyttelton and Sumner that suffered damage. Sense of place and identity are important components of place richness and community well being, and are therefore an important aspect of landscape. Christchurch is a city that relies largely on its architectural style for its distinctive character and like many other cities worldwide, has fought to maintain its cultural identity as it grows and changes in an era of globalization. Unfortunately, as a result of the earthquakes, the battle for the city has just got even harder. Christchurch’s heritage buildings were hard hit in the earthquakes, many of which were un-reinforced masonry buildings. So far CERA has approved demolition of 152 heritage buildings in Christchurch and the partial demolition of another 34. Unfortunately only 45 damaged heritage buildings have been approved for ‘make safe’ work (Heather, 2011). Christchurch is now presented with the tough challenge of reconstructing a totally new face in the absence of its place defining heritage

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FIGURE 2-10: CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL BEFORE AND AFTER THE FEBRUARY EARTHQUAKE

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architecture. Regenerating sense of place in the absence of heritage buildings is a major concern for landscape architects.

Lastly, with so many buildings requiring demolition and rebuilding, the city is in for a long reconstruction period. Thousands of vacant sites around the city will remain abandoned wastelands until they are rebuilt, while thousands more are under construction. This presents another landscape issue that is concerned with the intermediate landscape, and how communities are expected to live in a city that is to be the country’s largest construction site for many years to come.