The Big Picture hosts a series of webinars on how to activate
town and city centres, in particular the "in-between hours" - that transitional space between the end of the workday and the beginning of nightlife. Recordings can be accessed below.
The Power of Multi-Purpose Venues as Anchors of Urban Regeneration
This session explores how bringing performance, film, literature, and community activities together under one roof reflects a growing trend in cultural regeneration —helping to maximise footfall, build financial sustainability, and create more inclusive public spaces.
Our guest speaker Andrew Bentley, Director at PlaceCulture shares the story of the Storyhouse in Chester: a striking example of how the city’s former Odeon cinema has been reimagined as a £37 million cultural centre. Today, Storyhouse brings together an 800-seat theatre, a boutique cinema, and Chester’s public library alongside restaurants, bars, and social spaces—demonstrating the power of adaptive reuse to reinvigorate buildings and communities alike.
Understanding Place as a Blueprint for Change
In this webinar guest speaker Tania Love, Associate Partner at FaulknerBrowns Architects, focuses on understanding place - not just in broad strokes, but in its heritage, daily rhythms, social dynamics, and untapped potential. Whether you're looking at an entire city or town, a neighbourhood, a street or a building, this is about getting under the skin of how spaces were and are truly being used and how they could be used to better serve communities.
We’ll explore:
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The role of local heritage and culture, demographics and infrastructure in shaping activation strategies
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How insights from this understanding can directly inform better master planning and long-term place strategies
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Case studies of successful evening economies and night-time activations