Rethinking the Interface between Industrial and other Urban Land Uses: Australian Base Studies

Industrial sectors and the property assets that support them evolve over time and are shaped by a range of economic, financial, technological, community and political forces. The past two decades have seen remarkable and compounding changes in these areas – underpinned by rapid rises in consumption levels and globalisation of markets. All these have resulted in the contraction of traditional manufacturing activities across practically all OECD countries. In Australia in particular, new forms of 'industrial' uses have emerged. These emergent changes have significant economic and land use impacts and are yet to be fully appreciated by and incorporated into statutory planning schemes. Hence, a closer examination of the spatial relationship between these new forms of industrial activity and surrounding urban land is now required particularly to identify the challenges for the existing asset bases and urban layout. More positively however, there also appears to be opportunities to develop innovative forms and structures to accommodate these evolving uses, which are neither as intrusive nor locationally bound as industrial uses of decades past.This research is based on literature, interviews, focus group discussions and case studies in eastern Australia. Once the nature of changes in industrial land uses are defined and understood, then the interface between these emerging industrial activities and other urban land uses can be better integrated and aligned.