Kaiapoi - Jane Ge

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Kaiapoi is the largest town within waimakariri district. It is the gateway to waimakariri. Kaiapoi located near the mouth of Waimakariri River, and the Kaiapoi River, which is a branch of Waimakariri River, pass through the township. Kaiapoi is a picturesque river town which won the NZ Most Beautiful Town Award in 2009. However, the 2010 and 2011 earthquake damage the stopbank, the bridge, the road, the railway station and the wharf. It turned Kaiapoi’s beautiful features into disaster. Moreover, almost 20% of residential are turn into red zone, which just located next to the town centre. Despite of the huge damage caused by earthquake, kaiapoi is also the community that recovery from it quickly. Until now, almost all the dangerous houses in red zone are demolished, and retreat the red zone to green space.

Kaiapoi Project: Living with Water

This project is mainly focus on using the empty red zone to manage the flooding problem in Kaiapoi. Flooding in Kaiapoi can be a challenge but also can be an opportunity. ‘Living with water’ is aimed to turn the water problem into charming
waterscape. Furthermore, I try to bring benefits to the town that more than just controlling the flood. Based on the theory of ecosystem and their services, I want to make use of red zone to offer services like tourism, food, business opportunities, and
sport fields. Through this project, I want to make kaiapoi a more active community and bring people back to the river. The future kaiapoi will be a charming and resilient town.