The Central City Red Zone, also known as the CBD Red Zone, was a public exclusion zone in the Christchurch Central City implemented after the 22 February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. After February 2013, it was officially renamed the CBD Rebuild Zone by government agencies, but remained known as the Red Zone. It gradually shrank in size and the last cordons were removed on 30 June 2013, 859 days after the earthquake.
The February 2011 earthquake caused widespread damage across Christchurch, especially in the central city and eastern suburbs, with damage exacerbated by buildings and infrastructure already being weakened by the 4 September 2010 earthquake and its aftershocks. The earthquake, which struck at lunchtime on a weekday, caused devastation in the central city, with two large office buildings having collapsed (the CTV Building and the PGC Building), many historic building façades had collapsed into the streets, two buses were crushed by falling façades in Colombo Street, and many people in City Mall were trapped by fallen masonry. [1] A total of 185 people died in the February earthquake, 169 died in the central zone alone: 115 in the CTV building, 18 at the PGC Building, 8 on buses in Colombo Street and 28 others in various CBD locations. [2] [3]
Authorities cleared the central city of people, established a cordon on the day of the earthquake [4] [ failed verification ] and denied access. The day after the earthquake, the New Zealand Government declared a state of national emergency, which stayed in force until 30 April 2011. [5]
Post-Christchurch had a confusing colour-coding applied, with the same colour meaning different things in different areas. [6] The Central City Red Zone is not to be confused with the residential red zone. In the central city, it described the area that was cordoned off after the earthquake. In the eastern suburbs, the colour red refers to land that is subject to liquefaction or the related effect of lateral spreading and that is deemed uneconomic to repair; [7] with over 7,000 properties being purchased by The Crown [8] under what has been called a voluntary yet coercive scheme – while residents were free to refuse the Government's buyout of their homes, the Government cautioned that remaining in place would entail a lack of insurance, infrastructure, and city services. [9] [10] In the Port Hills, red zoning refers to land where it is not economic to protect buildings that are at risk from rockfall, or land that is unstable due to its proximity to cliffs, with The Crown offering to buy the land. 510 properties are zoned red in the Port Hills. [11]
As explained below, the Central City Red Zone was further divided, with an outer orange zone accessible to residents. In the eastern suburbs, the orange zone was that land that had yet to be assessed and zoned (either green, blue, or red). There was no orange zone in the Port Hills, though, and land that had yet to be classified was zoned white. A white zone also applied in the central city initially, as geotechnical assessments were not carried out there for many months. [12]
The Avon Loop, which is located in the central city, further adds to the colour confusion. Until 13 March 2011, the Avon Loop was in the orange zone of the Central City Red Zone. [13] When the residential land zoning was first announced in June 2011, the Avon Loop was zoned orange. [14] Much of the Avon Loop was eventually zoned red, and this is the only land in the central city that was initially in the Central City Red Zone which later became part of the Residential Red Zone.
An initial cordon was established by Police and the New Zealand Army around the perimeter along the central city along Bealey Avenue, Fitzgerald Avenue, Moorhouse Avenue, Antigua Street, Rolleston Avenue, and Park Terrace. [13] Within days, cordon checkpoints were also manned by Australian Police (mostly New South Wales Police Force and Australian Federal Police) and Singapore Armed Forces. [15] [16]
The CBD fringe is in large areas of residential nature, so the initial cordon saw many residents within the restricted area. At the last census in 2006, some 7,600 people lived within the three census zones (Avon Loop, Cathedral Square, and Hagley Park [17] ) that make up the central city. [18] A triangular area defined by Antigua Street, Hagley Avenue, and Moorhouse Avenue in the south-west of the central city was outside of the cordon. [13] Not much of that area is residential, though, as large areas are occupied by Christchurch Hospital, Hagley Community College, and many industrial uses. Hence, some 7,000 residents were initially affected by the red zone. The cordoned area was thus further subdivided, with an outer orange zone accessible to residents, but no access to the inner red zone other than people authorised first by Civil Defence and later by the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA). [19] Residents living in the inner red zone did not have access to their buildings and had to find accommodation elsewhere.
A vehicle recovery programme was initiated by Police around 10 March 2011. Cars and bicycles were transferred to a secured compound within Hagley Park, from where vehicle owners could retrieve their vehicles. [20]
On 21 March 2011, about 100 business owners protested at the Art Gallery, the temporary headquarters of Civil Defence, about lack of access to critical business property (e.g. computer servers, merchandise, cash) as well as a lack of communication, with some buildings having been demolished without any prior communication. They demanded to speak to the National Controller of Civil Defence, John Hamilton. When Hamilton would not see them, some of the business owners breached the inner cordon in protest by simply walking past soldiers manning the entrances, but within minutes, Police started arresting the protesters and pushed protesters back outside the inner cordon. [21] [22] The next day, the New Zealand Government issued a press release, with Civil Defence Minister John Carter stating that it was "foolish to breach the cordon around the red zone. People died behind that cordon." [23]
The cordon was officially renamed to the Rebuild Zone in February 2013. [24] The employment of the New Zealand Army finished on 28 June 2013, after the army having served for 858 days. [4] The cordon was removed two days later on 30 June 2013. [25] Many individual buildings are still fenced off, as they are deemed unstable by the authorities; this includes the Anglican Cathedral in Cathedral Square. [25]
Over time, the role of the army personnel at the cordon entry points changed from simply restricting access to become guides to tourists and locals alike, with even locals not knowing their way around any longer as so many landmarks have been demolished. [26]
The first time that CERA set a target date for the removal of the red zone cordons was in September 2011, when a 1 April 2012 removal was announced. [27]
A red zone removal by 28 June 2013 was first announced in March 2013; the ultimate removal date was 30 June. [28]
CERA ran weekend red zone bus tours from November [29] [30] to December 2011. [31] Due to passengers not being allowed to exit the vehicles whilst they were inside the red zone, security and Red Cross personnel came on the buses. Passengers were also warned about the possibility of being trapped or crushed by a collapsing building. [30] Red Bus started operating bus tours in July 2012, [32] [33] and three companies were selected in March 2013 to give tours. [34]
From November to December 2011, a pathway surrounded by security fences between Cathedral Square and Cashell Mall allowed the public to visit the area. It was open during weekends and shut on weekdays. [35] [36]
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island and the second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has a population of 396,200 and is located in the Canterbury Region, near the centre of the east coast of the South Island, east of the Canterbury Plains. It is located near the southern end of Pegasus Bay, and is bounded to the east by the Pacific Ocean and to the south by the ancient volcanic complex of the Banks Peninsula. The Avon River (Ōtākoro) winds through the centre of the city, with a large urban park along its banks. With the exception of the Port Hills, it is a relatively flat city, on an average around 20 m (66 ft) above sea level. Christchurch has a reputation for being an English city, with its architectural identity and nickname the 'Garden City' due to similarities with garden cities in England. Christchurch has a temperate oceanic climate with regular moderate rainfall.
Public transport in Christchurch, New Zealand, consists of bus services operated by two bus companies supported by a ferry, all jointly marketed as Metro, a division of Environment Canterbury (ECan).
Avondale is a suburb of Christchurch in the South Island of New Zealand. It is located 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) northeast of the city center, and is close to the Avon River / Ōtākaro, four kilometres to the northwest of its estuary. The suburb is centred on Avondale Road and so named due to its proximity to the Avon River. It has a good sized park on Mervyn Drive called Avondale Park. This park has a kids playground, a tennis court, basketball court, and a football field in winter. There is ample vacant red zone land in Avondale for activities such as leisure and dog walking.
The Avon River / Ōtākaro flows through the centre of the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, and out to an estuary, which it shares with the Ōpāwaho / Heathcote River, the Avon Heathcote Estuary / Ihutai.
Christchurch Central City or Christchurch City Centre is the geographical centre and the heart of Christchurch, New Zealand. It is defined as the area within the Four Avenues and thus includes the densely built up central city, some less dense surrounding areas of residential, educational and industrial usage, and green space including Hagley Park, the Christchurch Botanic Gardens and the Barbadoes Street Cemetery.
A major earthquake occurred in Christchurch on Tuesday 22 February 2011 at 12:51 p.m. local time. The Mw6.2 earthquake struck the Canterbury region in the South Island, centred 6.7 kilometres (4.2 mi) south-east of the central business district. It caused widespread damage across Christchurch, killing 185 people in New Zealand's fifth-deadliest disaster.
The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority was the public service department of New Zealand charged with coordinating the rebuild of Christchurch and the surrounding areas following the 22 February 2011 earthquake. After it was disestablished on 18 April 2016, CERA's functions were taken over by a variety of other agencies.
Clarendon Tower was a high rise building on Worcester Street at Oxford Terrace in the Christchurch Central City, New Zealand. Built on the site of the former Clarendon Hotel, the façade of the historic building was kept in the redevelopment and was protected by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust as a Category II heritage structure. Following damage from the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, the 17-storey building has been demolished.
City Mall is the main pedestrian mall in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand, comprising two sections of Cashel Street plus the Bridge of Remembrance and one section of High Street. It is also known colloquially as Cashel Mall. The Bridge of Remembrance was pedestrianised in 1976. The main mall was closed to traffic on 11 January 1982 and formally reopened as a pedestrian mall on 7 August, but it was not until 1992 that the entire mall was paved. The mall was redeveloped between 2006 and 2009, and track was installed for an expansion of the heritage tram network.
Southshore is an eastern coastal suburb within Christchurch, New Zealand. It is located on a narrow 2.5 km (1.6 mi) long sandspit that runs along the eastern side of the Avon Heathcote Estuary. The suburb is 8 km (5.0 mi) eastwards from the city centre and 5 km (3.1 mi) south from New Brighton's main retail area. Before urbanisation, the area was predominantly swamplands, bordered by large sand dunes which had some Māori presence. The area holds historical and cultural importance to local Māori iwi because of the large amounts of resources and seafood gathered in the area and estuary prior to European occupation.
Victoria Square is a public park located in central Christchurch, New Zealand. Originally known by European settlers as Market Place or Market Square, it was renamed to Victoria Square in 1903 in honour of Queen Victoria. It was one of the four squares included in the original plan of Christchurch when the city was laid out in 1850.
Container Mall was a temporary mall built from shipping containers in Christchurch Central City, New Zealand. It was a response to the 22 February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, which destroyed most buildings in City Mall, and resulted in the central city being cordoned off from public access while buildings were being demolished. Initially considered a short-term response to the lack of permanent buildings, Re:START was popular with locals and tourists alike and remained open for business until January 2018.
East Lake is an open water course under consideration in Christchurch, New Zealand. The facility, located within the residential red zone adjacent to the Avon River, would be suitable for international rowing regattas. The facility is estimated at NZ$160m to construct.
The Canterbury Public Library building, was a library in Central Christchurch and the main library of Christchurch City Libraries, New Zealand. It was the largest library in the South Island and the third-biggest in New Zealand. It was also known as the Central Library. It opened in 1982 on the corner of Oxford Terrace and Gloucester Street but was closed on the day of the 22 February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. After the earthquake temporary libraries to serve the Cental City were set up at South City Mall, Tuam Street, Manchester Street and Peterborough Street. The building was demolished in 2014 to make way for the Convention Centre Precinct. Tūranga, the replacement library, and Civic Space was opened in 2018.
The Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial is the Crown's official memorial for those killed or seriously injured in the 22 February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. It is located on both sides of the Avon River downstream from the Montreal Street bridge. The memorial opened on 22 February 2017, the sixth anniversary of the earthquake.
Tūranga is the largest public library located in Central Christchurch, New Zealand. It opened on 12 October 2018 and replaced the nearby Christchurch Central Library that was closed on the day of the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.
A residential red zone is any of several areas of land in and around Christchurch, New Zealand, that experienced severe damage in the 2010 and 2011 Christchurch earthquakes and were deemed infeasible to rebuild on. Through voluntary buyouts, the Crown acquired and demolished or removed over 8,000 properties. The majority were located in a broad swath of the eastern suburbs along the Avon River / Ōtākaro that had suffered damage from soil liquefaction.
The Shuttle was a free bus service in Central Christchurch, New Zealand. Introduced in December 1998, the popular service represented the first use of turbine-electric hybrid vehicles in New Zealand. It was operated until the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake and carried about one million passengers per year. It was not reinstated after the central city cordons were removed in 2013.
The Christchurch Central Recovery Plan, often referred to as the Blueprint, is the plan developed by the Fifth National Government of New Zealand for the recovery of the Christchurch Central City from a series of earthquakes, in particular the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. The Canterbury Earthquake Response and Recovery Act 2010 required the Christchurch City Council to develop a recovery plan for the central city. The plan, known as Share an Idea, was presented to the Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery, Gerry Brownlee, in December 2011. Brownlee rejected the city council's plan, established the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA), and tasked that organisation with developing a plan based on the city council's draft. The Christchurch Central Recovery Plan was published in July 2012 and defined 17 anchor projects. All projects where a timeline was specified were to have been finished by 2017; none of the 17 projects have been delivered on time and some have not even been started yet.
The Christchurch Bus Interchange is the bus station in the Christchurch Central City in New Zealand. Built as one of the 17 anchor projects identified in the Christchurch Central Recovery Plan, it opened in May 2015 after the previous Bus Exchange had been damaged in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.
