Word count: 1000
Melbourne’s urbanism in the heart of its city has been shaped over the years by its growing population of locals, immigrants and tourists. Being ranked as no.1 cultural destination in Australia (State Government of Victoria, 2018), its public spaces (Tibbalds, F., 1992, p.9) have been given unique identities, rooted in their socio-political and historical context (Tibbalds, F., 1992, p.9). They serve to represent the city’s popular cultures and cater to its growing community’s needs and interests. Some of these spaces, like laneways, form an important part of Melbourne’s inner city “pedestrian network” (Carmichael, 2011, p.2) and provide unique experiences of its culture. These laneways contain within them layers of urbanism – visible and symbolic, which have been shaped by their significance and surrounding developments in terms of built infrastructure and the diversity of people who use them (see Appendix image 03). This paper analyses two such laneways, namely Degraves lane and Hosier lane. It aims to understand the kind of urbanism developed in these public spaces and the main forces that has shaped its development.
1 Manasi Chopdekar (935401) Urban Design for People and Places (PLAN20002) Assignment 1: Visual Critical Essay