Don Miskell of Boffa Miskell in New Zealand gives this annual Landscape Architecture address Nov. 12 at 5 p.m., in Room 1040 of the Dana Building. He will explore plans for the redesign and rebuilding of Christchurch, New Zealand's second-laregest urban area.

In September 2010, a powerful magnitude 7.1-magnitude earthquake rocked Christchurch, New Zealand’s second largest city (population 377,000). Since then, there have been more than 12,500 aftershocks. The February 2011 aftershock of magnitude 6.3, which struck on a weekday at 12.51 p.m., caused 185 deaths. In all, $30 billion of damage occurred to buildings, property, residences and infrastructure.

In the Central Business District where 50,000 people worked, about 70 percent of the commercial buildings were damaged beyond repair and have been or will be demolished. In response, the New Zealand government established the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) to develop a Recovery Plan and to lead, promote and facilitate redevelopment. The resulting Recovery Plan included a spatial Blueprint Plan that covers 1,500 acres within the heart of the city.

Don Miskell, who is managing director of the multidisciplinary firm Boffa Miskell, was engaged by the New Zealand government to lead an international consortium of architects, urban planners, urban designers, landscape architects, engineers, economists, cultural advisors, traffic engineers, investment bankers and business advisors to develop the spatial Blueprint Plan in the space of 100 days. At the completion of the 100 days, Miskeel was seconded into CERA as General Manager - Planning and Design.

In his presentation, Miskell outlines the 100-Day Blueprint process, its guiding principles, the challenges, the environmental outcomes, the urban design controls and the lessons learned. He will also describe what is happening now as the community seeks innovative ways to rebuild within the Blueprint framework.