One example is a lane way called Francis Street, which is off Rundle Mall, and is now the entranceway to the new Adelaide City Library. It has been recently upgraded, and it is now visually interesting and colourful in a fine grain way:
But there are no places for people to gather–eg., a small bar or coffee shop, or an open air gallery for street art. So you just walk down it to the library entrance. It’s still all about spending money shopping in Rundle Mall, rather than wandering down the lane way because it offers something interesting or friendly–a laneway culture.
Adelaide, like many city centres, was once a vibrant retail and commercial hub early in the 20th century, but it emptied out when widespread car ownership created a flight to the suburbs. Now, people in many cities are rediscovering the joys of living in inner city, walkable neighbourhoods with easy access to the city centre. People want to shop, eat, relax and socialise in vibrant, mixed use centres. A laneway culture is an important part of that vibrancy.