Making space and place for knowledge production : knowledge precinct developments in Australia

The economic and social importance of knowledge production is clear, and it is an emerging social phenomenon and research agenda in the urban planning discipline. The impact of what has been broadly labelled the knowledge economy has, however, been such that even in the absence of precise measurement it is the undoubted dynamo of today's global market and an essential part of any global city. Knowledge production, and where, how and by whom it is produced, is first of all an urban phenomenon poorly understood in an era of strong urbanisation. This paper focuses on urban knowledge precincts as the magnet infrastructure impacting knowledge production of cities. The paper discusses two important issues: knowledge based urban development within the paradigm of the knowledge economy; and knowledge precincts as an instrument to seed knowledge production in cities. The paper concludes with conditions for knowledge precincts as the incubators of knowledge production and innovation in Australia.