Breathing new life into an underutilised space can be achieved through a variety of approaches, from light touch installations of movable street furniture, to long term collaborative projects that build on community strengths and knowledge.
See the below examples of Enliven Places projects that make spaces welcoming, and encourage activity and interaction. For guidance on running your own community event or project, visit our Shape Your Place toolkit.
A prominent vacant site at 9 Cathedral Square was temporarily transformed into an urban park by its owner in 2021.
The site was cleared and hard landscaping put in. The Enliven Programme relocated planter boxes, seats and solar light art columns to the site.
The site makeover provides a pleasant, safe space for Central City pedestrians to travel through and supports the ongoing growth of Cathedral Square.
Another Central City vacant site makeover was completed in 2024 at 691 Colombo Street - between Hereford and Cashel Streets. In collaboration with the owner, the vacant site was transformed into a temporary public space with a mural, planters, seating and surfacing.
With co-ordination and liaison from Watch This Space, local artist Josh ‘Drows’ Montgomery (Ngāi Tahu/Ngāi Tūāhuriri) created the mural which tells the story of his whakapapa, depicting his awa (river), maunga (mountain), and te rā (the sun).
Another sizable vacant site at 207 St Asaph St was transformed into a vibrant, temporary youth space from March 2023. The space includes an outdoor half basketball court, along with six giant spray cans, seating and street art murals.
Three of the giant spray cans are 'free spaces' where everyone is welcome to have a go, while the remaining cans had new murals created by DTR Crew and Kophie.
Artist Nick Lowry's mural enlivens the eastern substation wall with native bird and plant life. Dr Suits' ground floor artwork transforms the basketball court with vibrant, geometric blocks of colour.
The project was in partnership with ECan, with consultation from Watch This Space.
A prominent, vacant corner site at 89 Stanmore Road in Linwood Village was revitalised into a flexible community space in 2024.
Light-touch, temporary improvements included a site tidy-up, landscaping, greenery and seating made from repurposed Lyttelton wharf timbers. The project aims to be a gathering place for community-led events and was a partnership with Stanmore Block.
Another corner site at 3 - 9 London Street in Lyttelton, known as Collet's Corner, is a popular Saturday market destination and well-used community space.
Low-cost, light-touch improvements to the site focused on safety and accessibility improvements and included rebuilding the stairs, adding handrails, and upgrading the path and surfaces.
Public consultation on the long term vision for Cathedral Square showed that locals want to see nature and greenery breathe life back into The Square.
We sought designs for small, pop-up gardens to test this idea. The many quality submissions showcased creativity and vision for public spaces.
The public voted to select three winning gardens, which were installed for summer of 2018 - 2019.
The Central City is host to a variety of new commercial spaces for lease. In 2018, a competition invited the public to submit creative ways to breathe life into these spaces and encourage potential new tenants.
Two categories for submissions ensured that a wide range of people were invited to enter the competition. An open category was available to the public and designers, while a student category encouraged youth to get involved.
Five open designs and three student designs were shortlisted and a public vote secured the top three(external link):
The installations were active from June 2018 – May 2019.
#MyBrightonHut
New Brighton is home to the highest concentration of artists anywhere in New Zealand. Residents take pride in the creative, positive energy that flows through this coastal community.
A competition invited members of the public to submit designs for tiny huts, to improve amenity and increase activity in this earthquake-impacted suburb. 124 unique designs were submitted and displayed at a public exhibition where people voted for their favourites.
Visitors enjoyed the five winning designs in New Brighton during the summer of 2016-2017: