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You may already be familiar with the term “precinct” – the community benefits, improved connections, economic and job opportunities that these areas create. But have you ever given thought to the process of how a precinct is identified, structured, and brought to life?

Senior Development Manager in Economic Development Queensland’s (EDQ) Urban Development team, Tom Leach, says a precinct means different things to different people, but the fundamental thing is leveraging an opportunity.

‘That opportunity could be a number of things,’ says Tom.

‘For example, it could be urban renewal of industrial land, an emerging entertainment precinct or an infrastructure investment, in public transport, arts, culture, tourism, housing or amenity improvements or a combination of these.

‘You need to look at the opportunity from the perspective of both a current and future state.

‘It’s about looking ahead to a better future for the precinct.’

That’s where a planner, like Tom, comes into play.

As an urban planner and development manager, Tom has worked on a number of significant precinct projects, particularly in South East Queensland.

How do you identify a precinct’s opportunity?

A planner considers multiple factors when identifying what opportunity a precinct can bring about in the future.

Once the opportunity is identified, it forms the foundation of how the precinct is planned.

Like us as human beings, a “precinct” can portray a specific “personality.” Not whether it has a good sense of humour or is known for its kindness or humility, like a human, but a precinct can display physical character traits that form the foundation of the opportunity it will create.

‘A great question to ask is what will draw people there,’ says Tom.

‘It is fundamentally about understanding the unique qualities and character of the precinct. Asking the question, ‘what is its identity?’

Tom says some of those qualities could include things like employment opportunities, heritage buildings or proximity to ‘green and blue infrastructure’.

What is green and blue infrastructure?

What comes to mind when you hear the term green and blue infrastructure? If it’s natural assets like parks, trees, rivers, lakes and creeks then you’re on the right track. This term refers to opportunities to connect to nature in and around a precinct.

This can be both a physical and visual connection.

‘You often think about connecting people via roads, active transport, rail, or bus,’ says Tom.

‘It can be about how the precinct connects into the park, or river and creek networks and how these connect with each other.’

Boundaries and interdependencies

One of the most difficult things to do when creating a precinct is establishing the boundary of the area and sphere of influence. In EDQ, if a potential precinct is planned to become a declared Priority Development Area (PDA), lots of analysis and work is undertaken to determine the most appropriate boundary prior to declaration.

“In the case of a PDA – after it is declared, key outcomes of the PDA are then taken to the community for consultation on a proposed development scheme,” says Tom.

A master plan provides a similar arrangement and offers a clear understanding of the scope of opportunity for which a planner has to work with.

Tom says one of the next biggest things for a planner to consider, is understanding the interdependencies and best whole-of-precinct response.

That includes relationships with different precinct elements, like:

• surrounding transport infrastructure
• land use mix – from residential, commercial and recreational
• economic viability
• environmental sustainability
• community wants and needs, and;
• long-term resilience – precincts should be designed with adaptability in mind for changing elements over time.

Sustainability and cultural heritage

The earlier sustainability is considered in the ‘precinct-establishment-process’ the better for everyone – especially for a planner.

Tom says if you don’t incorporate it at the start, the more difficult it becomes as the process progresses.

‘Sustainable planning and development is not a new thing, but as impacts on our environment become ever more apparent, it’s becoming more critical to consider up front,’ says Tom.

‘With adverse climate conditions, having communities’ that are resilient to this is going to be very important.

‘Take for instance the heat island effect.’

Heat island effect generally occurs in cities, besieged with concrete, and limited with greenery.

The term refers to what can happen if there is not enough parks and shade for people to rest under.

‘Those really hot communities become vulnerable places, which then can be more costly down the track.’

Creating communities or ‘precincts’ with green star ratings is one way to help minimise ‘heat island effect’ and tick those boxes of governance, liveability, economic prosperity, environment and innovation.

But what about cultural heritage?

Tom says both Indigenous and European cultural heritage are important considerations during the precinct process.

In Queensland, land users need to comply with the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003, Queensland Heritage Act 1992 and the Torres Strait Islander Cultural Heritage Act 2003.

Federal protection levels also need to be considered in terms of specific heritage laws.

Yet, even after meeting legal requirements, it’s important to remember the good old-fashioned face-to-face engagement with stakeholders including traditional owners.

Tom says part of the process is working out how best to integrate this form of engagement into the process.

‘A lot of this engagement is about building relationships and trust and how we work together on the outcomes in the precinct’s planning and implementation process,’ says Tom.

‘Deep engagement can often open up stories from the past.

‘With some of these stories we can integrate things into the precincts, like at Brisbane’s Northshore, where we are looking at high levels of shade and Indigenous plant species for the landscaping in the roadways and such like.’

Community engagement

When it comes to forming a precinct, community consultation is essential.

Tom says community’s generally want to know what will be the impacts on them.

‘Nearby residents want to know what the impacts and benefits are, and people outside of the community generally want to understand this too,’ says Tom.

‘Sometimes people are not always comfortable with change, so having a good understanding of the benefits and what we’re trying to achieve really helps.’

But Tom admits, you need to have a good understanding of the precinct before you start talking to the community.

Once the history, technical knowledge or constraints and opportunities are known, it makes it easier to engage and bring the community into the discussion.

Biggest challenges when creating a precinct

Often, it’s a case-by-case basis, and the challenges vary depending on the precinct, location and regulations involved.

Tom says one of the biggest challenges he’s observed is dealing with competing interests.

‘There’s often competing interests at different scales, whether that be competing land use, infrastructure, development scale, priority connections and community outcomes,’ says Tom.

So how does a planner overcome such challenges to move forward to the end game?

Tom says good governance is one thing that can help as well as being intentional about the outcomes you’re trying to achieve. A governance framework can not only build good relationships and stakeholder engagement, but also build accountability around implementation of a vision and responsibilities for key actions and timings.

‘Governance and a clear vision are really important ways to overcome the challenges, bringing people and precinct partners together – making sure they’re focusing on those precinct objectives and the positive social, economic and environmental outcomes we’re all trying to achieve together.’

Benefits for all

If planned right, precincts can form connection, economic prosperity, and promote sustainable practice. They can be a place to grow, to thrive or to simply…experience. If done right – that precinct can leave a positive, lasting impact, helping to create a better future for all.

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