In Australia, governments are looking at new precinct models such as Special Activation Precincts (SAPs) in areas such as Parkes, Wagga Wagga, Moree, Williamtown, the Snowy Mountains and Narrabri, or Regional Job Precincts, like Albury, Richmond Valley and South Jerrabomberra, and State Significant Precincts, such as Waterloo, Redfern and The Bays in Sydney, to stimulate growth in regional and urban areas respectively.

City Deals, like Western Sydney, are one of the largest planning and investment partnerships in Australian history, and in New Zealand, local governments and private developers are playing their part by facilitating the rezoning of suitable land for urban development and promoting the densification of existing urban areas.

Melbourne’s 480 hectare Fishermans Bend is Australia’s largest urban renewal project, consisting of five precincts that by 2050 will incorporate parks, schools, a university campus, transport, community hospital and leisure facilities and house and provide employment for up to 80 000 people.

In Asia, the rapid growth of cities has seen precinct development occur on a massive scale, mostly addressing social and population demands in order to achieve economic returns.

Singapore itself is a large cluster of precincts. The Singapore Land Transport Master Plan 2040 envisions a 24-minute town and a 45-minute city.

In Vietnam, the 400 hectare Waterpoint Precinct in Ho Chi Minh City is being developed to support a decentralised population and provide a vibrant new township for 25 000 residents, as well as a university, retail, commercial and leisure facilities.

Countries like Singapore, Hong Kong, and Vietnam have adopted ‘smart city’ ecosystems that focus on relationships between data, assets, users and systems. These can be scaled down to a precinct or district level. A smart precinct approach provides a defined pilot area to test and measure ideas for scaling up and makes it easier for private sector developers to participate in developing alongside government.

Special purpose precincts focused on health, education, circular economy, renewable energy, technology, innovation and/or integrated transport services are also a priority for governments.

In Australia, Innovation Precincts are focused on the sustainable development of key areas that encourage collaboration and innovation, promote growth and job opportunities and deliver business and social benefits. In Hong Kong, the government established Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks to facilitate the creation of a vibrant innovation and technology ecosystem to deliver social and economic benefits to the city and region, now and into the future.

Developers are also leading the creation of precincts around retail, leisure, residential and/or commercial, with projects like the Waterfront Place Precinct in Brisbane, the new city of Drury south of Auckland, and Vietnam’s 1 000 hectare Tuan Chau Island, taking a holistic place-based approach towards integrated transport, sustainable energy, water and waste and adopting the trend towards living, working and accessing essential services within distinct communities.

Across Asia, Business Improvement Districts (BID) are private sector-led initiatives to improve a precinct or district.

In Singapore, for example, if more than 50 per cent of owners cooperate through a membership model, the government will co-fund improvements to the district over a fixed-term and to a maximum fund. This fund could be used for a variety of activities including marketing, placemaking, vibrant activities and for activating an area. This model allows for multi-stakeholder participation and benefit.

Precincts are also focused on areas such as food and agriculture, and oil and gas, such as Jurong Island in Singapore, the Agribusiness Precinct in Western Sydney or the Epping Food Hub in Victoria.

Transit Oriented Developments (ToDs) are combining transport nodes such as train stations with residential and commercial developments, leading to significant investments in and around both road and rail corridors across the Asia-Pacific.