Precincts: A blueprint for creating places with purpose

The shape of the built environment plays an outsized role in the sustainable growth of our cities, and everyone has a vested interest. After all, our economic and social development is tied to having functional places to work, live and play, and the resulting ecosystems become larger than the sum of their parts.  

Precincts can be studied from a range of perspectives, and no two spaces are the same. While built form, planning controls, legislation and policy are seen as tangible challenges and much focus is placed on overcoming these, the success of a precinct, and the outcomes it can deliver to all users and occupiers of the space, can depend on its type and the intangible challenges that can arise in how precincts are formed and then mature, including how they function and retain currency to endure.

In reflecting on the outcomes a precinct should deliver, we have taken Cushman & Wakefield’s Inclusive Cities Barometer as a starting point. This assesses cities using performance-based criteria to describe social impact based on inclusiveness. Here, the performance of precincts can be gauged through the same public benefit lens, contributing to either economic, social, spatial or environmental outcomes.  

But how well do we really understand the complex and intangible forces that shape the development of precincts and the attributes that determine their success? In this report, we examine the settings and features that ensure precincts can deliver on their intended vision and maximise their contribution to the greater good.