The Our Gottingen benches seek to take a simple planter and transform it into an opportunity for community to reclaim a sense of ownership over a changing mainstreet in Halifax’s north end. We partnered with the We are all Connected Youth Program and Atilihi Inuit Program at the Mi'kmaq Native Friendship Center to organize and run a series of workshops that invited youth and community to design and build benches together.

We started with discussions about the values, and developed a collective vision for the project. The workshops included design drawing, model-building, and construction to turn the youth ideas into a canoe-inspired bench with two planters. The project helped foster a stronger sense of belonging and ownership over the Gottingen Street area. It received a Halifax Urban Design Award of Excellence in 2023 in partnership with the funder - the North End Business Association.