Industry Mix and 3D Urban Heterogeneity: Insights Into Innovation Districts

Economic heterogeneity is an inherent characteristic of cities. Such heterogeneity is generally mapped at broad scales and the specific physical interfaces between industries and the spaces they occupy are rarely addressed vertically as a 3D urban landscape. This paper examines vertical or 3D heterogeneity of different building types using the City of Sydney's fine grained GIS dataset from 2012. Different building types are examined for their ability to support different tenant mix “ecologies”. The study finds that statistically different buildings support different mixes with variables such as building size, location and age playing an influential role in the tenant mix. 3D industry mix is an important factor for cities seeking to foster innovation and economic development. This research engages with current dialogues on innovation districts by providing quantitative evidence to help real-estate professionals, urban designers and city managers to make decisions concerning the shaping of specific industry mixes.