South Alive
An urban rejuvenation project, led by the community, for the community.
Southland
South Alive is a community-led group operating in South Invercargill, Southland. It focuses on urban rejuvenation and has been very successful in changing the local environment and perceptions about the area. We have the goal of identifying the best possible future for South Invercargill and ways to make it happen.
It was established in 2012 with a small steering group, which then held a public meeting in April 2012 to generate ideas and decide priorities. Action teams of volunteers formed around each of the priority areas, and have been working since then to develop and implement projects.
South Alive became a charitable trust in 2013 under its legal name, the South Invercargill Urban Rejuvenation Charitable Trust.
The group has identified its vision as:
A vibrant and diverse community that takes the lead in its own future
And it's mission as:
Empowered by our strengths as a community, we will build a place to live and work that engenders pride and inspires us
More about us
In early 2012 a Steering Group was formed with wide community representation. 26 people attended the first meeting on February 14, 2012 and began to discuss their hopes and dreams for South Invercargill and how to move forward to achieve those. The group developed a name, and a plan to hold a public meeting to identify and prioritise the projects the community wanted.
The main issues identified by residents were lack of community pride about how South Invercargill looked and felt, the way others talked about South Invercargill, lack of facilities, issues around housing stock, state of the South City shopping area.
Opportunities were also identified such as to build Invercargill's first dog park, plant fruit and nut trees in public spaces, art projects and general beautification.
All of these ideas led to the formation of the following working teams from the community:
- fruit and nut trees
- housing
- beautification
- dog park
- arts
- events
- stronger neighbourhoods
- South City
Each year we conduct one on one research with a minimum of 210 South Invercargill residents to determine their level of pride in how South Invercargill looks and feels.
Our latest research shows that we have made substantial progress in changing the community’s view of South Invercargill. The percentage who agree, or strongly agree, with the statement, “I feel a sense of pride in how South Invercargill looks and feels” has risen from 35% in 2012 to 82.5% in 2015.
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