The
opportunity that’s in front of us as a city is absolutely enormous. To have the
scale of the devastation, which has come at a great price to our people and our
city, but as the basis of a chance
to rebuild is something absolutely extraordinary’
- Christchurch
Mayor Bob Parker on the earthquake of 2011
A
natural disaster: one of man’s greatest threats, with the ability to wipe away urbanisation
in any place, any time, in any form. Loss of life, livelihood and liveliness in
the blink of an eye, it can have devastating effects leaving only desolation
and destruction. As planners we are presented with the unique chance to recover,
redevelop and recreate in a more resilient way better than ever before. But exactly how has this opportunity
come about? The answer: through ways in which planners have found the positive
from a negative situation. New Orleans and Christchurch, both struck, both
fell, but now both stronger due to strategic planning underpinned by community
resilience, innovation and techniques of preparation in which a city can use to
reduce the risk of a repeat.
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| Christchurch earthquake 2011 |
1.
Does a natural disaster bring us together? (community resilience = urban
resilience)
The lifeblood of a city is the community
and ensuring the community is resilient, is key for urban resilient outcomes.
On August 29, 2005 the Louisiana coast was hit by hurricane Katrina, causing
devastation throughout New Orleans. 1 400 lives were lost, 228 000 houses
damaged and more than 800 000 people displaced. The
Vietnamese American district in east New Orleans suffered severe flooding and structural
damage however their community became stronger than ever. Taking the recovery
effort into their own hands, they set up teams to undertake required jobs
whether it was cooking, rebuilding or collaborating medical supplies. ‘Before Katrina, when we said homeland, we
meant Vietnam. But when my people say homeland now, they mean New Orleans’,
a priest in the Vietnamese district proudly stated in the post Katrina recovery
effort. In a similar state of community pride,
in Christchurch 2011 when a magnitude 6.3 quake hit the city, Mayor Bob Parker
noted in the rebuilding efforts, ‘My
primary respect is for my neighbours, the people of the city. You know, 12 000
earthquakes later, we are still here. We are still gungho about our future.’
Taking
on board this gungho attitude and integrating it into post-disaster planning
decisions, plans have been developed in both Christchurch (Christchurch Central
Recovery Plan) and New Orleans (New Orleans Strategy Recovery and Redevelopment
Plan) that involve, respect and respond to the community’s needs, developing a
healthier social fabric and leading to a more resilience, educated community
and consequentially enhanced planning outcomes.
2. Are we only prepared once we have had the shock?
Being prepared, in all senses of the word (physically,
mentally, socially) is key for urban resilience however we are less inclined to
put the measures in place if we have not endured a natural disaster in the
recent past. For example, New Orleans pre 1900 housing was more resilient through
the 2005 event than everything else, built resiliently within the climate at
the time in anticipation of the next event. This raises the point; do our
cities/governments get ‘relaxed’ when there is no sign of a potential crisis?
The reactive approach has prompted a shift to a new era of
proactive planning to prepare for and therefore mitigate the risk a natural
disaster poses. This method has the overall aim of reducing the severity of the
event and the vulnerability of a city. New
Orleans was critically unprepared for the crisis, with no comprehensive plan or
flooding strategies in place bar a levee built in 1965 around the city which
failed and caused far worse consequences than the hurricane itself, leading to
the flooding of 80% of the city. This lack of immediate preparation prompted a
review of the planning process and ultimately enforcing a planning strategy to
be developed (a positive step forward).
In
response to being hit by natural disasters, both New Orleans and Christchurch
put together disaster recovery authority’s with supporting recovery plans, each
plan commended on their reconstruction efforts as well as long term viability.
This subsequently has triggered more permanent design resilience throughout
each city as another way to minimise future risk. In
Christchurch, a resilient and strategic move against the threat of more quakes
has been to plan a low-rise city.
3. Is
a natural disaster the catalyst for change?
Undoubtedly natural disasters have absolutely devastating
effects. But still there exists a unique opportunity for a restart, fresh
thinking and innovation where innovation is needed and relied upon for a city
and its community. As outlined by Frederic Schwarts, chief architect for the
New Orleans City Planning Commission, ‘Disaster
offers a unique opportunity to rethink the planning and politics of our
metro-regional areas - it is a chance to redefine our cities and to reassert
values of environmental care and social justice, of community building and
especially of helping the poor with programs for quality, affordable, and
sustainable housing.’
Innovation has been brought to the Christchurch inner city
through several temporary solutions that help in restoring everyday life for
the local community. The Christchurch cathedral, which was destroyed by the
quake and now undergoing many years of reconstruction, has been substituted for
a temporary ‘cardboard’ church which is not only globally eye catching, but an one-off
architectural opportunity adding uniqueness to the city. Additionally, the
shipping container mall was initiated as a contemporary way to kick-start the
city center of Christchurch.
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| Christchurch shipping container mall |
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| New Orleans local |
Of
course it is not butterflies and fairies for all. In the aftermath of Katrina the poorer, mostly
African-American population were forced to migrate from their homes due to the
lack of public housing availability, hindered by slow bureaucratic decision
making, allocation of funding and ineffective urban renewal strategies. The negative
realities cannot be forgotten. New Orleans authorities are trying to resolve the
displacement issue to restore the social fabric and resilience of the lower
socio-economic neighbourhoods.
‘Resilience describes a community that will
bend but not break when struck by an extreme natural event’. This
is about planners looking at the positives, the community cohesion, the
creativity, the new plans and stronger urban resilience that all follow a
natural disaster – a reactive approach for a more prepared future.
By Jane Witham
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