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Strenuous efforts were also exerted to provide psychological therapies to community residents suffering from postearthquake disorder, so that they could have their sense of pride and identity restored. Voluntary activities were properly organized in local communities to foster volunteering. Local residents were brought closer together through such volunteering activities as helping and caring for people most affected by the earthquakes. These volunteering activities served as a catalyst for the healing and rehabilitation process of communities, both physically and psychologically. Moreover, public ideas and suggestions concerning community rebuild were solicited from all sides. Residents with novel and foresighted ideas were offered support and favorable conditions regarding land, venues and funding, so that the public could test the feasibility of untold losses to local residents’ properties
these new ideas and find out whether they
and wealth, but also left indelible wounds
could be adopted for the long term.
on their hearts. In response, Christchurch City Council encouraged the public to
(2) Supporting recovery of sense of place and developing a sustainable city
involve in the rebuild process, taking into
Faced with trails of destruction,
full consideration local residents’ ideas
Christchurch launched a well-devised
and suggestions concerning city rebuild.
urban design plan to create a city
At the center of the rebuild program was
environment that helped restore people’s
the effort to restore historical memories
sense of place. The objective in this regard
and build new positive memories,
was to build a safe, livable, vibrant, green
so that the emotional bonds between
and prosperous city for local communities
communities could be reconnected.
and to explore, test and create new sense