Almost every colonial town was laid out on a grid pattern – squares of vertical and horizontal streets. The grid appealed to town founders because it imposed instant order on the landscape and could be easily subdivided. However, on hilly sites it resulted in steep streets and sudden endings. Dunedin’s grid plan resulted in some very steep streets – including the Southern Hemisphere’s steepest: Baldwin Street. Dunedin’s plan was distinctive in being centred on an octagon.