The Tsunami Ship
Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan
After being picked up by the March 2011 Japan tsunami and swept one kilometre inland the 330 ton No.18 Kyotoku Maru was left stranded across a sealed road in the Shishiori district of Kesennuma. In Kesennuma City there was considerable local debate for keeping the ship as a tsunami monument or removing it completely, as it was a daily reminder to residents of the lives lost in the tsunami tragedy. Finally in August 2013, 70% of residents voted to scrap and remove the ‘tsunami ship’ No.18 Kyotoku Maru and today it is no longer at rest in Kesennuma City.
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Carbon Market
Cebu City, Philippines
The Carbon Market was named from the coal that was unloaded from the Cebu Railroad over 100 years ago. It has been a popular and successful market for poor stall owners and vendors.
In January 2014 a fire in the Warwick Barracks gutted around 240 stalls and warehouses. About 500 families, mostly poor were affected by the fire, they soon moved back with what few possessions remained and set up temporary stalls to hopefully begin trading again. Twelve days after the fire, city government demolition teams moved in and demolished the newly erected stalls. Stall owners were told they cannot return to the Carbon Market unless they pay a 50,000 Philippine peso bond for their stall (equivalent to about 6 months wages for a Philippine clerk). Those that cannot pay are to be relocated 12 kilometres away to the Barangay Budlaan district on a piece of barren land devoid of basic amenities. A support group called Advocates for Justice and Dignity has set up a Facebook page in support of the dislocated poor stall owners.
What’s the future for Cebu City’s Carbon Market, the City has plans for modern buildings and carparks, plus it is in talks with local and foreign investors for private-public investment schemes that are attractive to commercial store owners and tourists.
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Knox Church
Christchurch, New Zealand
At 12.51pm Tuesday 22nd February 2011 a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Christchurch and surrounding areas. Around 180 people from 20 different countries were killed, and many others were seriously injured. The quake brought the city to a standstill, the Christchurch central city business district was severely damaged and was completely closed down. Around 5,000 Christchurch homes were condemned and the future of another 10,000 remained uncertain, plus there was substantial damage to most of the cities historical buildings. The city’s buildings were already weakened from a previous magnitude 7.1 Canterbury earthquake that occurred five months earlier.
Located on the corner of Bealey Avenue and Victoria Street Knox Church is one of Christchurch’s historic buildings. The Church is being rebuilt with a plan to keep the wood ceiling and beams, clad the repaired building in copper and install windows at ground level, so passers-by can see the timber ceiling and arches.
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