Christchurch Multi–Hazard Analysis Approach

Stormwater Conference

Christchurch is a low-lying coastal city subject to a large number of natural hazards. These hazards affect different locations across the city with varying frequencies and magnitudes. Large parts of the city are subject to multiple hazards, including areas adjacent to lower river reaches and the coast. These areas were significantly impacted by the Canterbury Earthquake Sequence ('the earthquakes'), which began in September 2010, and produced a cascade of geomorphic, built and human environment changes that altered the profiles of several other hazards.

Anthropogenic climate change or disruption is forecast to have pronounced effects on Christchurch city. The most notable include flooding-related hazards: coastal, fluvial, pluvial and groundwater. Unlike event-based hazards, climate disruption is a chronic stressor, with its general occurrence over the foreseeable future now largely certain. The premise is that decisions regarding long-term planning and immediate infrastructure repair and remediation can be more effective at enhancing the city’s resilience if they are made in the context of the multiple risks associated with the full range of natural hazards the city is subject to.

A multi-hazard assessment approach for long-term planning is being undertaken in Christchurch to inform Christchurch City Council’s (‘Council’) decision-making on future infrastructure planning and construction. Whilst ultimately focused on responding to fluvial and pluvial flooding, historically the most frequent hazard for this city, the approach considers a range of hazards holistically, through a ‘multi-hazard’ lens. This promotes effective, long-term sustainable interventions to reduce risk. The approach is being used to answer the question: How do we make decisions about flood management in a multi-hazard environment? A multi-hazard assessment of flood response options, including various defences, will help inform decision making on the most appropriate way to manage the city’s floodplains now and in the future.

Conference Papers

2. Christchurch Multi–Hazard Analysis Approach.pdf

pdf
177 KB
25 Jun 2018

1140 - Tom Parsons - Christchurch MultiHazard Analysis Approach.pdf

pdf
1 MB
25 Jun 2018