The Changing Face of Christchurch

Christchurch is not the place it once was. I think we all know that by now.

Change is a given.

You expect buildings to be in ruins after a continual bombardment of earthquakes and after-shocks. Most of us are well acquainted with ruins now. But it's still hard to describe the unsettling nature of a wander around what is increasingly becoming a wasteland. There are things here you don't expect to find in a city - things like the thundering lorries we now share our streets with - and coming upon them is often disconcerting, frequently disturbing and, sometimes, amusing.

I went walking this morning.

These are just a few of the unexpected sights I captured.

I think the images speak for themselves.

"As long as people live under humiliating conditions, they are going to be bitter and brutal. Architecture is only part of the problem of cities. Conceivably we could have a great city of mediocre buildings. It might be a happy place in which to live. And you might have a beautiful city that is not a happy city."

Allan Temko.

"The City."