Last night for the two year anniversary of the devastating February 22nd Christchurch Earthquake I watched the documentary on the Earthquakes "When a City Falls" on SBS. Watching this documentary really hit home for me how great an impact the earthquakes have had on Christchurch and will continue to have on shaping the city centre for the future. What struck me most in this documentary was not only the huge gaping holes in the city where my favourite places and landmarks used to be but the continuing sense of kindness and humour seen throughout the community.
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| Demolishing the Cathedral from here (sorry I couldn't find a better link) |
Despite little concrete rebuild being completed, even two years down the road from the initial destruction, it would be easy to lose spirit and simple let the inner city deteriorate. This is why I am so excited by the work of Gap Filler, to ensure those empty spaces are never really empty spaces but places of excitement and intrigue (instead of just parking lots for cars that are not even there). This I think is a key element for building community resilience and ensuring people dont just forget about the inner city and become more and more entrenched in the suburbs. I am looking at making my planning thesis based around exactly how this community resilience can be achieved through the creative community action enabled by Gap Filler, so stay tuned because I will be sure to keep you updated with what I find out!
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