Making space and place for innovation and knowledge-intensive activities has been an important task for urban administrators in order to foster, attract and retain talent and investment in the age of global knowledge economy. The paper sets out to derive the efficient approaches for practical integration of place making as a multidimensional strategy for the successful and sustainable generation and dissemination of knowledge in contemporary knowledge and innovation spaces. This research embraces a multidimensional conceptual framework to carry out the investigation in three case studies from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane (Australia). As the methodological approach an interview-based qualitative analysis method, by involving a range of key stakeholders, is adopted. The study finds that, considering the challenges these locations are exposed to, the role of place making extends from merely physical aspects to holistic economic, social, cultural, spatial and organisational outcomes. This paper makes a contribution to the literature by generating insights from the Australian knowledge and innovation space context with the application of an innovative multifaceted approach for fruitful place making.

Introduction

Place making is increasingly manifesting itself as a popular strategy adopted by the competitive cities for retaining talent force in order to sustain creativity and knowledge generation in their blooming spatial assemblages of innovation and knowledge-intensive activities and functions (Edvardsson et al., 2016; Yigitcanlar, 2009). These locations—better known in the literature as knowledge precincts, knowledge locations, and innovation clusters or districts—are referred as knowledge and innovation spaces (KISs) in this paper. Incorporating multifaceted developmental motives, KISs are seen as the growth engines aimed at holistic and sustainable growth in terms of economy, society, governance and environment (Carrillo et al., 2014; Van Winden et al., 2013; Yigitcanlar et al., 2008a). However, these globalised knowledge-nurturing locations—in addition to the retainment of talent force—are facing a number of economic, social, political and environmental challenges (Baum et al., 2009; Florida, 2005; Peck, 2010). Interestingly, despite acknowledgement of place making as a strategic solution and its multidimensional definition—as accentuated by recent studies—knowledge regarding the applicable approaches for its practical integration in KISs remains an understudied subject. This research gap widens further considering the mentioned challenges unique to KISs (Carvalho and Winden, 2017; Pancholi et al., 2014; Yigitcanlar et al., 2008b, 2017a). This study aims to explore planning and policy approaches for place making as a strategic solution for complex challenges of contemporary KISs. The research question, thus, is: ‘How can place making be integrated as a strategy to combat the challenges of KISs?’ This paper places case studies of three leading Australian KISs—Macquarie Park (MQP), Melbourne Employment Cluster (MEC), and Dutton Park Knowledge Precinct (DPKP)—located in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane under the microscope. An interview-based qualitative method is adopted as the methodological approach, and findings are presented in line with a multidimensional conceptual framework of place making.