From the Daily Scot:
.
Many may recall the powerful earthquakes that struck Christchurch, New Zealand in 2010 and 2011 virtually wiping out the Central Business District. It hit close to home for me; I was living in Auckland at the time and my stepfather’s house in Christchurch was damaged beyond repair.
But as most communities do in the wake of disaster, Cantabrians banded together to slowly rebuild their city anyway they could. Between the planning process/bureaucracy and the ultimate rebuild there’s an agonizing gap.
Behold: Gap Filler.
Here’s a description from their website:
Gap Filler is a creative urban regeneration initiative that facilitates a wide range of temporary projects, events, installations and amenities in the city… These short-term and comparatively small-scale projects are far less risky than new permanent developments – and consequently opens up opportunities for experimentation …
By recycling materials, teaming up with suppliers, harnessing volunteer power and being creative, Gap Filler proves that the regeneration of the city does not rely solely on large-scale developments by the private or public sectors. …
Ultimately, Gap Filler aims to innovate, lead and nurture people and ideas; contributing to conversations about city-making and urbanism in the 21st century.
.
I love tactile urbanism and the idea of quickly testing things in the public realm that are cost-effective and well-programmed for great simple placemaking.
The Pallet Pavilion
created by Gap Filler in Christchurch was a standout for programming and simplicity.
.
Whats behind this stack on colourful wood pallets? Enter and see …
.
On this day the stage was occupied by a Sunday afternoon Orchestra
.
Programming for the space is well thought out and flexible, accommodating a range of events.
.
Refreshments are serviced from this old camping trailer.
.
Movable tree planters add shade and greenery in addition to the portable umbrellas.
.
As popular as the Pallet Pavilion was, it was eventually taken down to make for a building on the gravel lot it sat on. That’s the nature of Gap Filler: temporary interventions plugging the gaps in Christchurch’s urban fabric.
I can’t help but think why we aren’t trying this in the Vancouver area? What about all that space on the Southside of False Creek? Or take it to the suburbs … empty lots, leftover spaces, the potential for stimulating neglected areas is huge.
Stay tune for more Gap Fillers in a community near you.
I love that you called it ‘tactile’ urbanism instead of tactical (deliberately or otherwise). It fits better with the ‘test it out’ paradigm than tactical’s militaristic roots.
Thanks, I meant to say tactical
hmm… wonder if they paid CHEP for those pallets.
Hi. No, we borrowed the pallets from CHEP. A big part of the design challenge was how to construct with pallets without ruining their structural integrity – because we wanted (and had to) return them to the shipping industry when we deconstructed. So the whole structure was created just by drilling holes in the pallet planks. Afterwards, almost all went back to be used again by CHEP. The other key thing is that the construction system enabled volunteers and non-professional to help build the pavilion; 80% of the construction work could be done just by drilling holes in the right places, lifting pallets, and threading them over the reidbar. So 300 community members helped build the venue – which is a big part of why it had such great use and community custodianship.
Thanks Ryan for the great input from behind the scenes!
Local Vancouver developers are building passive parks as interim uses on development sites – largely driven by tax advantages associated with the park use.
Concord Pacific has leased lands east of the Plaza of Nations to SOLEFood Urban farm as an interim use, as well as the controversial use of such lands (and City-owned lands in SEFC) for Cirque du Soleil performances.
South Capilano Community Garden sits on a large empty lot at the corner of Capilano Rd and Marine Drive in North Vancouver.
http://southcapilanogarden.com/
The site and adjacent properties will be developed for the new Lions Gate neighbourhood.