In the early 1990s, Melbourne’s laneways were not the vibrant cultural and shopping experiences they are today. Gilbert Rochecouste, who later founded Village Well, was part of a group of creative entrepreneurs and community organisations seeking affordable studio and office accommodation in the heart of the city. This group became active in lobbying for improvements to the City’s streets and services, in particular its laneways.

Later, Gilbert was engaged by the City of Melbourne to lead a dynamic engagement process with the Flinders Lane community and stakeholder groups, which informed the development of a vision for the Precinct and the delivery of place activation initiatives, including the creation of an arts cluster, the first Laneway Festival and business development strategies. Later, the City of Melbourne introduced street calming and other measures to reduce traffic and encourage outdoor dining in the laneways.
 

The Flinders Lane and Degraves Street place activation process successfully catalysed the transformation of the many laneways throughout Melbourne and has created some of the city’s most iconic experiences.