Christchurch residents - what will you do?

[Brett]

So clearly much of the residents of the Christchurch/Canty region have been affected/severly affected by the recent quake, some will be severe loss of property, many will have utilities disrupted, others will have annoying but repairable property damage and then of course there is the loss of life.

What is clear is that:

A) Chch is unsuitably places as a city given the geotechnical elements it sits on in the present way it is/was built. To rebuild would require intensive works in ground stabilisation etc. but none of this would change the fact that it is not far off the water table and is in effect an alluvial river bed. However, clever engineering could come up with good solutions for buildings that mitigate a lot of this.

B) Cantabrians and in particular those in Chch have had their nerves absolutely frayed by continual and persistent tremors and there must be many who are stressed to the point of breaking from it as they don't really get to "relax" as these tremors keep everyone on their toes.

C) Central Chch, however it is redeveloped, is going to take time to repair. Businesses will be displaced, there is going to be not insignificant disruption to work places and a large area of the city is not going to feel restored for a long time.

D) There are many people displaced from their own properties due to damage and are currently shacking up with family and friends which cannot last forever and their will be a housing shortage in the greater Chch region.

NOW...I do not mention any of the above to antogonise anyway or be in any way insensitive. I think that Cantabrians have been immensely strong throughout this ordeal and I take my hat off to you and the many many people down there who have been strong and resolute and got stuck in and helped out. In fact, I doubt the above is a new revelation to anyone.

So, the question, will you be staying in Chch moving forward? Or has this latest upset given you resolve to move on to somewhere where you can finally rest easy away from the tremors and constant fear of the earth moving? If so, where would you consider moving to and at what point do you think you would return?

[Shadows]

The fact is that anywhere in the country could be affected by either earthquakes, volcanoes, or both.
Where do you suggest everybody should go?
Aussie could be a choice if you feel like running from bush fires I guess.
I'm staying put, I'm wasn't here for the bricks and mortar anyway.

[onearmedbandit]

I'm staying, as is almost everyone else I know. A lot has been made of the two big collapses, the PGC and CTV buildings, but very little has been made of the other (major majority of) modern buildings that are still standing strong. Sure there is a lot of destruction in the CBD, but a lot of the buildings within that zone were built way before current building standards. In fact I think 50% of buildings with the CBD were built before these standards.

You can drive for hours around the city looking at absolutely no damage whatsoever. Or you can travel to the badly affected areas and see lots of damage. This city will rebuild, it will rebuild where it is. It will take years to return Christchurch to what is was before, maybe up to 15yrs. But in the lifespan of a city, that is but a blip in time.

What concerns me the most is that changes to our infrastructure (like increasing the width of major arterial routes) will now not see the light of day for years to come. Mind you if a third of the city leaves then we won't need to worry about that so much.

[EJK]

I'm staying. Got lots of work to do here (for now).

Can't go on a vacation to Queenstown nor sit on my ass and watch TV while the world go by.

[Flip]

If adopted your logic Brett nobody would live in a city with a known fault line or an active volcano.

As an engineer I'm looking forward to the challenge of making Christchurch the greatest garden city in the world.

I don't believe you understand just how strong the Feb earthquake was. The city was subjected to an acceleration of 1.8g, when the Richter scale is corrected for depth it had an adjusted value of 9.2. In any other country apart from Japan there would not have been 3 buildings left standing and the casualty's would have been 1000% higher.

IMHO Christchurch has had a major earthquake and survived. Weather the citizens fight or flight is largely up to how they cope in the weeks and months after the incident.

[Subike]

My Mothers family came here on the first four ships.
My Fathers family came here as indentured workers from Poland when Napoleon went to war. They dug by hand the ditched to drain the swamps.
The place was a swamp, coverd with brambles, no running water, no roads, no buildings. Yet they stayed and made it work.
They lived in tents, dug out latrines, built mud houses, harvested whaterver they could grow for food, they made it work, they built our cities foundation of people.
They had a vision the to build a town for their children and their grandchildren that was better than the towns they had left behind in england and europe.
Towns full of filth, disease, polution, coruption and war.
Their vision of the future is our reality, let our vision of the future be our grandchildrens reality.
Did NewO'leans move after the floods? nope
Did SanFransisco move after their 7.4 quake? nope
How many cities devistated bt disasters move? not many.
Why move? We are part of nature, we adapt better than any other life form on the planet, but we forget that we are part of the planet, not seperate from it.
Christchurch will rebuild because we can adapt, learn and go on.
Many will never stop calling it home, because it is home, many will leave, ...but as mentioned, to where??? NZ is an earth quake zone peroid.
There is a lot of reactionary coments happening at the moment, ask this question again in three months time, and you might get the bums rush for being a stirrer.
Christchurch is my Family home, Christchurch will be rebuilt and I will still be here to see it grow, better, greener, safer than it ever was.
The Garden City
Lots of room for parks and gardens now in the CBD , and oppotunity to shine!

[Big Dave]

What a pickle.

I was living just South of Newcastle NSW when the quake hit there. Killed a dozen people and munted Hunter Street. (The chance went by).

The City changed markedly. All the commerce moved out of the CBD to the Malls and suburban centres and the inner city was redeveloped as Condos and units over the next 20 years.

If there's a positive - It actually changed the place for the better in the long term. Sure didn't seem so at the time.

[ellipsis]

My Mothers family came here on the first four ships.
My Fathers family came here as indentured workers from Poland when Napoleon went to war. They dug by hand the ditched to drain the swamps.
The place was a swamp, coverd with brambles, no running water, no roads, no buildings. Yet they stayed and made it work.
They lived in tents, dug out latrines, built mud houses, harvested whaterver they could grow for food, they made it work, they built our cities foundation of people.
They had a vision the to build a town for their children and their grandchildren that was better than the towns they had left behind in england and europe.
Towns full of filth, disease, polution, coruption and war.
Their vision of the future is our reality, let our vision of the future be our grandchildrens reality.
Did NewO'leans move after the floods? nope
Did SanFransisco move after their 7.4 quake? nope
How many cities devistated bt disasters move? not many.
Why move? We are part of nature, we adapt better than any other life form on the planet, but we forget that we are part of the planet, not seperate from it.
Christchurch will rebuild because we can adapt, learn and go on.
Many will never stop calling it home, because it is home, many will leave, ...but as mentioned, to where??? NZ is an earth quake zone peroid.
There is a lot of reactionary coments happening at the moment, ask this question again in three months time, and you might get the bums rush for being a stirrer.
Christchurch is my Family home, Christchurch will be rebuilt and I will still be here to see it grow, better, greener, safer than it ever was.
The Garden City
Lots of room for parks and gardens now in the CBD , and oppotunity to shine!

+1 to that....London is built on hollow ground and at risk from the North Sea at all times, been flattened by man and is still one of the greatest cities on the planet...they dont seem to want to ditch the place...the Low Countries of Europe which have been at risk of terrible flooding and are the locations of a lot more great cities dont seem to have left for higher ground over the centuries...the allies fucked Bremen with bombs and fire...they lost the lot...great city there now....Tokyo, Nagasaki, Hiroshima, San Francisco, Manilla.... seem to all have kept their inhabitants...were they silly...had nowhere to go or was it just HOME...yip, there will be bigger changes than we can yet imagine...........and its where Lancaster Park sits...

[Brett]

The fact is that anywhere in the country could be affected by either earthquakes, volcanoes, or both.
Where do you suggest everybody should go?
Aussie could be a choice if you feel like running from bush fires I guess.
I'm staying put, I'm wasn't here for the bricks and mortar anyway.

Absolutely true.

FYI...I am asking this question purely based on feedback I have had from people down there, not necessarily my opinion....

[Brett]

If adopted your logic Brett nobody would live in a city with a known fault line or an active volcano.

As an engineer I'm looking forward to the challenge of making Christchurch the greatest garden city in the world.

I don't believe you understand just how strong the Feb earthquake was. The city was subjected to an acceleration of 1.8g, when the Richter scale is corrected for depth it had an adjusted value of 9.2. In any other country apart from Japan there would not have been 3 buildings left standing and the casualty's would have been 1000% higher.

IMHO Christchurch has had a major earthquake and survived. Weather the citizens fight or flight is largely up to how they cope in the weeks and months after the incident.

As above, not necessarily saying that those statements were my own feelings, asking the question only...

I absolutely agree, risk occurs everywhere. There is no escaping natural disaster in some form or other be it violent and sudden such as an EQ, flash flooding etc or slow and painful like drought.

I do have an understanding of the strength of the quake, I have had a bit to do with building design and have had some interesting conversations with some of our leading Eq engineers at different times.

Japan are definitely a leader in seismic engineering in buildings but there are other countries too such as Iceland who have excelled in this area. Ensuring that the buildings are built to meet the engineered design of course is the other half of the coin...can design a brick shit house, but if it is built incorrectly then it is all an illusion.

Not at all arguing about the beauty of Chch...have spent a fair bit of time down there and love it a lot. Good to hear that many of the folk on here have no intention of leaving and this is what I hope will remain the case. Have to ask the question though, is the demographic on here a bit more resilient to hardship given that certain people types are drawn to motorcycling?

[Brett]

My Mothers family came here on the first four ships.
My Fathers family came here as indentured workers from Poland when Napoleon went to war. They dug by hand the ditched to drain the swamps.
The place was a swamp, coverd with brambles, no running water, no roads, no buildings. Yet they stayed and made it work.
They lived in tents, dug out latrines, built mud houses, harvested whaterver they could grow for food, they made it work, they built our cities foundation of people.
They had a vision the to build a town for their children and their grandchildren that was better than the towns they had left behind in england and europe.
Towns full of filth, disease, polution, coruption and war.
Their vision of the future is our reality, let our vision of the future be our grandchildrens reality.
Did NewO'leans move after the floods? nope
Did SanFransisco move after their 7.4 quake? nope
How many cities devistated bt disasters move? not many.
Why move? We are part of nature, we adapt better than any other life form on the planet, but we forget that we are part of the planet, not seperate from it.
Christchurch will rebuild because we can adapt, learn and go on.
Many will never stop calling it home, because it is home, many will leave, ...but as mentioned, to where??? NZ is an earth quake zone peroid.
There is a lot of reactionary coments happening at the moment, ask this question again in three months time, and you might get the bums rush for being a stirrer.
Christchurch is my Family home, Christchurch will be rebuilt and I will still be here to see it grow, better, greener, safer than it ever was.
The Garden City
Lots of room for parks and gardens now in the CBD , and oppotunity to shine!

Well said this man.

[AllanB]

I went for a ride to Akaroa this morning.

Life is good again. :niceone:

[Subike]

Not at all arguing about the beauty of Chch...have spent a fair bit of time down there and love it a lot. Good to hear that many of the folk on here have no intention of leaving and this is what I hope will remain the case. Have to ask the question though, is the demographic on here a bit more resilient to hardship given that certain people types are drawn to motorcycling?

The resilience is in the whole population of NewZealand not just motor cyclists.
You only have to think of the fact that 4.5 million people can produce some of the best sports people of the world, beating the best te world can produce.
Thus it stands to reason that the strength of our sports men/women is in the rest of the population.
As for Canturbury residents? Ever eard of the Crusaders mate??
The demographic you speak of is in all of us Kiwi girls and guys

[Oakie]

I'm staying. Our house is more or less OK and our nerve is holding. I'm looking forward to seeing what this city will be like in 10 years.

If however the right job came up in the right location out of Christchurch I admit that at present I am more likely to consider a move than I was a prior to 22 Feb. So yeah, more likely to move for a better job I guess but still happy enough here.

[fuknKIWI]

Well it looks like I've got to come back & move my Mum out of her house & bring her over here, it's not what we choose to do but what we feel we must do. She's parked up in Timaru & feeling yesterdays biggish one was the one that convinced her that the advice she's been rejecting up until now is good advice. The plan is for her to come over for a couple of months then to return home but it's hard to plan when the situation keeps evolving day by day or even hour by hour. Poor old girl 88 y/o & being forced out of the home she wanted to stay in. Her connections go deep her second hubby's family are descendants of the Pre-Adamites.
Red'n'Black for ever...

[The Lone Rider]

I'll be remaining, and continue to eat my wheetbix, watch movies, and ride my bikes

[fuknKIWI]

...and its where Lancaster Park sits...

Well to appease the Gods we must rename it as Lancaster Park then everything will OK...:blink:

[dangerous]

I went for a ride to Akaroa this morning.
Life is good again. :niceone:ummmm... were was mine and thunders invite?


+1 to that....London is built on hollow ground and at risk from the North Sea at all times, been flattened by man and is still one of the greatest cities on the planet...they dont seem to want to ditch the place...the Low Countries of Europe which have been at risk of terrible flooding and are the locations of a lot more great cities dont seem to have left for higher ground over the centuries...the allies fucked Bremen with bombs and fire...they lost the lot...great city there now....Tokyo, Nagasaki, Hiroshima, San Francisco, Manilla.... seem to all have kept their inhabitants...were they silly...had nowhere to go or was it just HOME...yip, there will be bigger changes than we can yet imagine...........and its where Lancaster Park sits...
hell yes like Berlin, Hamgerg etc once leveled now and for as long as the most of us remember, a modern city that bounced back... Chch will do the same.


I don't believe you understand just how strong the Feb earthquake was. The city was subjected to an acceleration of 1.8g, the transformer in Bromerly that was tipped over recorderd 2g, and yes true reading 9.1 aparently the maths is being done and we could well have the strongest quake ever recorded.




This city will rebuild, it will rebuild where it is. It will take years to return Christchurch to what is was before, maybe up to 15yrs. But in the lifespan of a city, that is but a blip in time.. farking oath, yeah it will be a ghost town for a while and having seen the mess there will be sfa left that we will reconise.

[far queue]

Well to appease the Gods we must rename it as Lancaster Park then everything will OK...:blink:No renaming needed, it always has been Lancaster Park! Jade Stadium at Lancaster Park, then AMI Stadium at Lancaster Park. It's only been the stadium name that's been changing.

And yes, I'll be staying too, I'm too bloody stubborn to do anything else! Plus my ancestors also came out on the 1st four ships.

[Winston001]

Plus my descendants also came out on the 1st four ships.

Faarrg. Owen the time traveller... Whoda thought... :innocent:

[far queue]

Faarrg. Owen the time traveller... Whoda thought... :innocent:Oops :facepalm: fixed :innocent:

[jim.cox]

Well, if it were up to me I'd run away and set-up camp somewhere on the banks of the Manuherikea. But the Mrs says "No, too dry there"

Then I suggested moving back to Dunedin
But that got vetoed too

Apparently we need to stay here, look after her Mum and Dad and contribute to the rebuilding...

[neels]

Interesting question.

I could have a possible option to up and sod off, but I suspect having a rooted house on probably unsellable zone C land that work hasn't even started on yet means I'm stuck here, with the kids doing shift work at different schools for the forseeable future.

Fucking yay.

[helenoftroy]

Dont want to be here anymore

I have totally had it and as soon as I possibly can I will leave

[gammaguy]

im overseas setting up a business,I left the area two weeks after the september quake.

I have property in Banks Peninsula which has survived both quakes without a scratch,and my tenants love me to bits and want to stay there.

So even if i wanted to i cant come home....

Truth is,I dont really want to right now,so im happy to stay in the tropics for a few more years at least.

Time will tell.......

[ellipsis]

...yeah..BP is looking good gammaguy...fuck all infrastructure to break...a lot of the peninsular moved tho...lot of shattered rock up high...be exciting for a while...if the cracks all join up, we'll be Banks Island soon...

[gammaguy]

...yeah..BP is looking good gammaguy...fuck all infrastructure to break...a lot of the peninsular moved tho...lot of shattered rock up high...be exciting for a while...if the cracks all join up, we'll be Banks Island soon...

well then,when I get back the first ride on the TDR will be even more fun than usual:yes:

[dangerous]

Dont want to be here anymore

I have totally had it and as soon as I possibly can I will leave OHHH that will be sad... but I dont get it. you lot that are sceard to stay, the faults have relesed their tension, the next quake will be somewere else... perhaps were ya move to?
you have far more chance of diying driving to were ever ya going to move to!

HOT in your case get a newer house, away from a water way, not in a low part of town... ok its easy for me to say cos Ive been farking lucky due to being on dry river bed in a beter built house, but come on running away aint the answer pertictly if ya jobs safe and house livable.

Hysterier... a natural thing with us mear humans, briford trailers have lost all there welders, my solid plaster has lost all his men... all taken of for the hills, IMHO it aint the answer.

[Grumph]

Well the old saw about time healing is still true...After the first quake which was real bad in some areas out here we heard a lot of "we'd go but there's animals to look after". By the time of the 2nd quake people had settled back into their routines and were starting to recover stability.
Now ChCh suburbs have been hit it's just the same natural flight reflex taking over again. If the day to day needs of the residents can be met reasonably quickly and some form of normality comes back to the daily routine, panic levels will drop.
HOT and Neels - it's looking more likely of course that you may be offered the "get out of the shit" option of moving to better ground. I've got friends in Bexley who are begging for that option to be offered to them as they badly want to stay in ChCh - just not that part of it....
As a personal bonus - if there's more development of ChCh to the West, we'll not have to travel as far to town....

[CookMySock]

I reckon they should all panic and move to another town and sell their realestate for jack-all to people like me. In five years it will all be forgotten and I'll be a multi-millionaire. :yes:

[neels]

HOT and Neels - it's looking more likely of course that you may be offered the "get out of the shit" option of moving to better ground. I've got friends in Bexley who are begging for that option to be offered to them as they badly want to stay in ChCh - just not that part of it....
Interestingly, after september we were happy to stay where we were even though the infrastructure was badly damaged, since feb 22 it looks like a much better option than a lot of other places in chch.

My issue at the moment is that a job somewhere else (which I knew would be coming up at some point) that was a possible option before the earthquakes, has turned up now when it's probably pretty much impossible for me to pack up and leave with things in their current state.

Ironically the main reason I wouldn't have gone for it before would have been to not disrupt the kids education, and that's the main thing that's going to be fucked up. :facepalm:

[TonyB]

To be honest I think when home owners look at the practical realities of it, if their house is badly damaged they are probably stuck here until its fixed. They'll still have a mortgage to pay, and they won't be able to sell the house.

Me personally- my family didn't come here on the first 4 ships. I moved here when I was 17, and I have never really liked the place- its flat, the wind is always blowing from somewhere and there's only one decent motorcycling road...it does have a great race track though. I stayed at first because this is where the jobs were, and then because the woman I love wouldn't leave. Weirdly enough the quakes have finally tied me to this place- it feels like home now. I have no intention of leaving now.

Dangerous has a point. I've heard of people who have left Christchurch and have chosen to move to Wellington. I struggle with this. Statistically speaking, Chch should now have a lower chance of having a big quake than anywhere else in NZ (I believed this 100% before Feb 22...not so confident now...). Of course, the Alpine Fault is well overdue.... but we'll just ignore that eh:shutup:

[jim.cox]

I've heard of people who have left Christchurch and have chosen to move to Wellington. I struggle with this.

Having been in the Chch CBD for the Feb shake, There is NO way in world I would move to Wellington

A quake there would just be a huge nightmare, and no good escape routes...

[onearmedbandit]

OHHH that will be sad... but I dont get it. you lot that are sceard to stay, the faults have relesed their tension, the next quake will be somewere else... perhaps were ya move to?


You not in the building game any longer d?


HOT in your case get a newer house, away from a water way, not in a low part of town... ok its easy for me to say cos Ive been farking lucky due to being on dry river bed in a beter built house, but come on running away aint the answer pertictly if ya jobs safe and house livable.

Hysterier... a natural thing with us mear humans, briford trailers have lost all there welders, my solid plaster has lost all his men... all taken of for the hills, IMHO it aint the answer.


People react to different situations in different ways bro. Maybe for some the memories are too much, maybe the constant aftershocks are rattling them, maybe the damage to the city is too much of a reminder, maybe they were always thinking about moving and this is just a catalyst, maybe they have children who are scared, maybe maybe maybe. It's up to them, you or I haven't lived their life, so who would we be to criticise their reaction to what has been a life changing event.

[dangerous]

You not in the building game any longer d?




People react to different situations in different ways bro. Maybe for some the memories are too much, maybe the constant aftershocks are rattling them, maybe the damage to the city is too much of a reminder, maybe they were always thinking about moving and this is just a catalyst, maybe they have children who are scared, maybe maybe maybe. It's up to them, you or I haven't lived their life, so who would we be to criticise their reaction to what has been a life changing event.

Yes

I agree intiely, that was just my opion... and I have seen the efects on a lot of people all different, one mans ruin is not anothers and vice a versa, we all have different states of dispire.

time for me to sit back and sort my own shit.

[notme]

From a quick scan of the posts thus far I haven't seen anyone mention an alternative scenario - which happens to be what applies to me:

I don't want to leave. I like the place, I like my house, I want the kid(s) to grow up here. I like the people and the parks and the river and everything.

BUT, the job is the problem. Some companies now can't support the staff they have let alone expansion, or they don't have buildings to work from.

So we are looking at moving, simply because we need to go where the career is.

[Subike]

Interestingl thread so far.
Those of us with the pioneering spirit will stay and rebuild, thats good,
Those of us with good solid finacial reasons will stay , thats good.
Those of us who are stressed out and want to move, thats good.
there will be a choice made by each of us according to our own needs, our comfortability, our finachial position.
But I am biased in my opinion because I have suffered no loss from this event , are back at work, things are basically the same as before Sept 4.
So for me to understand what you guys are going through is not possibil, other than listening to you all.
Work has now become a place of more oppotunities than before, as out of a staff of 51 in the assembly area, only 35 of us have stayed! Of the 16 that have left, 5 have been because of family, understandable. 6 were temps, who although they were called into work, have failed to turn up....??? A reflection of people who dont want to work? the other 5...have left christcurch for good.
So there will be jobs availabile next month at my work, I guess they will take but hours to fill.
But what about the rest of the employment situation? Its a mess all over the place, buildings distroyed, premisies flooded or now hills and valleys, most of us have a reason able idea of the damage out there.....the jobs will return faster than most might think. Oppotunity comes from disaster....hang in there for the long haul and the rewards will be great.
Go with our love HOT when you move, your a strong lady, but have had to endure more than a lot of us with your house damage and the commitment of your employment. I would not like to have to lived on the front line like you have for the past 6 mts. Find a little hospital in a small town and relax girl, you need and deserve that.
If we all practice a bit of selflessness over the next months of basic repair, we will all have great stories to tell our grandchildren about the day CHCH rocked.
Peace be with you all.

[Flip]

I was in Wellington on Tuesday. At one stage I looked up at all the glass on the front of the high-rise buildings and had what I could only describe as almost a panic attack!!!!! I had to cut a bee line to Manners mall and then to the car just to get out of the city.

[shrub]

You can drive for hours around the city looking at absolutely no damage whatsoever. Or you can travel to the badly affected areas and see lots of damage. This city will rebuild, it will rebuild where it is. It will take years to return Christchurch to what is was before, maybe up to 15yrs. But in the lifespan of a city, that is but a blip in time.

You're bang on the money there, I reckon at least 70% of this town is either fine or has suffered minimal damage. Very few of us died or were injured and most of us have all we need to thrive and prosper. We are still the biggest and most significant city in the South Island, we have a world class university, manufacturing and commerce, a benign climate and a well educated population; so we can and should succeed.


What concerns me the most is that changes to our infrastructure (like increasing the width of major arterial routes) will now not see the light of day for years to come. Mind you if a third of the city leaves then we won't need to worry about that so much

The majority of people that are leaving permanently now are predominantly those with no ties - no business, no job, rental home etc. They have limited impact on the viability of this town's success.

What worries me is that the changes that will have to be made to our infrastructure will be an attempt to regain what we lost, and we will spend a lot of money rebuilding a 20th century city - a city that is dependent on private cars and cheap energy. A city that doesn't recognise that energy will become increasingly expensive, that isn't built to respond to climate change, increasing food prices etc.

In many ways we have the most incredible opportunity possible. Our slate has been wiped clean and we can build a 21st century city instead of trying to adapt a 20th century city to the future. Take roads: instead of widening existing arterial roads, put in light rail and build a CBD that is oriented towards everyone not driving in. Build the city around the 4 avenues and have only half the avenues for cars with the other two lanes being light rail and a covered walkway/cycleway. That way the city is a hub where people drive/walk/cycle/bus to rail stations on the spokes and travel in by train. Once in town getting around is easy through public transport and pushbikes. And make the avenues commercial centres - a kind of CBD. Moorehouse is mostly car yards - what earthly good is that for our economy? Move them to a designated area - maybe somewhere that isn't safe to live in because if a quake happens jap import cars don't die.

Have each area of the town self sufficient in power with wind turbines, solar panels, solar water heating etc, and build highly energy efficient commercial buildings. That would slash business operatiing costs which would make ChCh businesses more competitive than anywhere else in NZ.

Make the CBD a recreation, light commercial and residential zone with 1 and 2 story laminated timber and steel structures that don't notice quakes and are energy efficient. Make it into an exciting and vibrant urban community.

All of these ideas have the potential to make ChCh one of the most exciting and commercially influential cities in the world, but they all cost money, and would never have even been considered 3 weeks ago. Now we HAVE to spend a brazillian dollars on this city, so do we use that money to try and rebuild the past or create the future?

[Winston001]

We are still the biggest and most significant city in the South Island, we have a world class university, manufacturing and commerce, a benign climate and a well educated population....

Say whut?? Crikey mate you've had a Pollyanna moment...:devil2: Canterbury University tries its best certainly but with Otago looming over it, well no contest really. Climate?? This is the home of the foehn - the nor'wester, the devils wind. And your economy? Think what you will but Canterbury's wealth comes from farming and that will continue without any urban reliance.





In many ways we have the most incredible opportunity possible. Our slate has been wiped clean and we can build a 21st century city instead of trying to adapt a 20th century city to the future. Take roads: instead of widening existing arterial roads, put in light rail and build a CBD that is oriented towards everyone not driving in....

Make the CBD a recreation, light commercial and residential zone with 1 and 2 story laminated timber and steel structures that don't notice quakes and are energy efficient. Make it into an exciting and vibrant urban community.


Well ok, but after seeing the tsunami effects on coastal towns and cities in Japan, I'd be aiming for a new Christchurch on the Port Hills or out west, say Yaldhurst.


Jokes aside, the only way your vision could be realised is for a newish city to be born. You can't bulldoze private property rights just to redesign an existing city centre. I'm completely serious about moving away from the sea - nice place to visit, wouldn't want to live there.

[helenoftroy]

To be honest I think when home owners look at the practical realities of it, if their house is badly damaged they are probably stuck here until its fixed. They'll still have a mortgage to pay, and they won't be able to sell the house.

Absolutely



People react to different situations in different ways bro. Maybe for some the memories are too much, maybe the constant aftershocks are rattling them, maybe the damage to the city is too much of a reminder, maybe they were always thinking about moving and this is just a catalyst, maybe they have children who are scared, maybe maybe maybe. It's up to them, you or I haven't lived their life, so who would we be to criticise their reaction to what has been a life changing event.
:yes:
Thank you for that OAB!

.....
Go with our love HOT when you move, your a strong lady, but have had to endure more than a lot of us with your house damage and the commitment of your employment. I would not like to have to lived on the front line like you have for the past 6 mts. Find a little hospital in a small town and relax girl, you need and deserve that.

Nothing will happen in a hurry Subike,but its been really tough & I just dont want to live here in the city anymore


Jokes aside, the only way your vision could be realised is for a newish city to be born. You can't bulldoze private property rights just to redesign an existing city centre. I'm completely serious about moving away from the sea - nice place to visit, wouldn't want to live there.
Totally agree on what you say -especially the last sentence...:bye::soon:

[imdying]

Well ok, but after seeing the tsunami effects on coastal towns and cities in Japan, I'd be aiming for a new Christchurch on the Port Hills or out west, say Yaldhurst.The two places that were the epicentres for the big ones?

[Winston001]

The two places that were the epicentres for the big ones?

The Port Hills are still standing?! No liquifaction there. A tiny number of houses hit by rocks, and sadly 2 people. The September epicentre was Darfield, not Yaldhurst, and the actual damage there was surprisingly light. Just look at how the Japanese buildings stood up to the quake and some even withstood the tsunami.

In fact many modern houses in Christchurch have survived both earthquakes. Shaken, twisted, cracks yes, but the structures did not collapse.

[onearmedbandit]

The two places that were the epicentres for the big ones?

A tsunami would mean the earthguake came from a completely different faultline, one out at sea, so if we were to be struck by one you'd be safer up there then anywhere within ChCh.

[imdying]

The Port Hills are still standing?! No liquifaction there. A tiny number of houses hit by rocks, and sadly 2 people.Given the rock falls (170 major ones at last count), I would be relucant to relocate the town up there. Castle Hill would have chewed through a preschool with ease :D

[onearmedbandit]

Ah my bad, I thought heading to the hills was the option for fleeing an approaching tsunami, not relocating Christchurch. Definitely no to relocating ChCh up there.

[ellipsis]

The Port Hills are still standing?! No liquifaction there. A tiny number of houses hit by rocks, and sadly 2 people. The September epicentre was Darfield, not Yaldhurst, and the actual damage there was surprisingly light. Just look at how the Japanese buildings stood up to the quake and some even withstood the tsunami.

In fact many modern houses in Christchurch have survived both earthquakes. Shaken, twisted, cracks yes, but the structures did not collapse.

...your seemingly endless knowledge on most things is an inspiration to us all...

[dangerous]

In fact many modern houses in Christchurch have survived both earthquakes. Shaken, twisted, cracks yes, but the structures did not collapse.Many and by that I mean MANY... did not survive, for one just ask AdamB.

OAB, how are all those you know in Japan?

[schrodingers cat]

If all goes according to plan, our place up on Mt Pleasant will get knocked down and I can build my dream home.
And while another quake could happen any time, now the ground is stress relieved I won't be giving a toss in 500 years when the next one hits

[onearmedbandit]

Many and by that I mean MANY... did not survive, for one just ask AdamB.

OAB, how are all those you know in Japan?

Thanks dangerous. Luckily most people I know are based in Nagoya and south or west of there, so all are well.

[Winston001]

...your seemingly endless knowledge on most things is an inspiration to us all...


spluttersppffftt sarcasm eh! :moon: Fair enough I can take a hint.