Although some of the lanes have disappeared during Melbourne’s maturity into a megacity the identity and character of Melbourne is built on lanes, smaller transitory spaces that are sites for major street art, small bars, artist studios and galleries. From this approach Melbourne has produced two cities, an instituted and a non-instituted one. Some lanes are entirely covered with street art, others have lanes branching off them with odd bars as their anchors. Some lanes have become tourist destinations in themselves, and others still maintain their rough character. Melbourne is one of the rare gridded cities that have evolved with organic input from its citizens.
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Hoddle Grid: Online: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoddle_Grid (viewed 27.06.2011) Weston Bate: Essential but Unplanned. The Story of Melbourne’s Lanes. State Library of Victoria, Melbourne 1994 (p.11) 15