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"“Space Activation and Re-Territorialisation” examines how alleyways and lanes are transformed through the current trend of space activation. Furthermore, an explication of what this means, how these spaces can be used, and by whom, is addressed by using theoretical frameworks to illuminate case examples. With a specific focus on Vancouver urban design, Melbourne and Singapore are also briefly referenced to show how the design trend is being borrowed, and is not an idea original to Vancouver urban designers. The term space activation can be described by the Vancouver Canada urban design context. Space activation means to introduce visual interest to a building face, according to Vancouver architects and planners. This may take the form of greenwalls, murals, change in cladding pattern (cladding means the outside layer of a building), shifts in wall-planes (wall plane meaning the wall but excluding the roof), amongst other types of activations. The intention is that a visually interesting building face adds “colour” to the public realm. But, also from a crime prevention angle, there is an assumption that a well-programmed building face, especially a mural or artwork, will read as belonging to someone local in the neighbourhood, since special effort has been invested to have that building face contribute to the public realm. As such, seeing this investment of local energy, would-be minor crimes such as graffiti and loitering will be deterred. The Vancouver notion of space activation assumes that design guidelines and policies are structured around assumed design hierarchies regarding types of spaces. For example, in public realm design in Vancouver urban design planning and architectural circles, the preferred spaces are those with active street life – the building frontage, at least at grade level (grade meaning ground), adds value to the public realm (as opposed to the private land areas). On the lower rung of the design hierarchy are blank walls and service areas that turn away from the public realm. A pedestrian’s journey must be enlivened by visual interests in these so-called neglected spaces, the blank walls and service areas, by creating ‘green’ walls (walls with vegetation), murals, cafes with sunny patios, and shops that wrap around into the alleyways. The desire to save alleyways and bare walls from their neglected state by transforming them into active urbane spaces seems to suggest all spaces bear the same importance. These alleyways and parti-walls (parti-wall meaning dividing wall between buildings) must be carefully curated spaces with specific performances, to be appropriately ‘activated’. Although no longer barren or mundane, they become sanitized. The main body of this article elaborates on how these curated activations of dead spaces may stifle the life or possibility for spontaneity that activation is meant to create. Activation sometimes disables the dialogues, bodies, and voices that do not conform to the image of the beautiful public realm according to those who have the ability to make decisions about the space."