Story: City planning

The lack of a civic centre in Wellington as a focal point for public life led planners and architects to design one. Here deputy mayor Helene Ritchie shows a 1987 plan for a proposed civic centre on Mercer Street (behind her). It was an early exercise in urban design – the plan aimed to create a space that would attract people and enhance city life. In the end a revised scheme was built and opened in 1992.