We invite you to join this Placemaking Learning Exchange on 7 February 2024 - focused on the experiences of two leading placemaking organisations from Ōtautahi/Christchurch in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

We will hear from:

Ryan Reynolds: Co-Founder of Gap Filler - Ryan is a leading community changemaker in Ōtautahi. He helps communities to use urban prototyping approaches to take tangible, temporary and iterative steps towards bigger community transformations. He was instrumental in creating the Gap Filler story.
Lydia Hannah Thomas from Life in Vacant Spaces – Lydia is a multi-disciplinary artist and events curator. As a director at Life in Vacant Spaces Charitable Trust, she leverages her artistic talents and networking passion into dynamic and adaptable approaches to creative community development.

A few years after the 2011 earthquakes, Christchurch New Zealand was getting a lot of international recognition for the creative grassroots urban innovations and placemaking actions being led by citizens. These actions were catalysed and supported by community organisations set up after the earthquakes like Gap Filler and Life in Vacant Spaces. Now, 13 years since this disaster and after a period of enforced rapid urban change, we will hear from Ryan and Lydia about lessons learned, successes, happy stories, legacy and some frustrations along this journey.

This Learning Exchange session will highlight some great stories of powerful placemaking from Ōtautahi/Christchurch. We will also draw out valuable lessons on the challenges that community leaders can face between awesome placemaking, and really influencing the power and interests that influence urban development.

You will also have an opportunity to post questions to Ryan and Lydia.

So register now to join us for this exciting session of insights from placemaking ‘down under’!

This learning exchange is part of the PLACE project (Placemaking for Citizen-led Missions in SE Europe), which is led by Korimako, Placemaking Europe, KLIK and PUSH, who are all part of Thriving Communities - an initiative helping communities to create radical enough change to thrive in the 21st century. This event is therefore made possible thanks to support from the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme of the European Union