Journal of Property Research

Integrated Planning, Financing, Development and Operation of Science Parks

Science parks are transitioning from isolated real estate developments into dynamic, mixed-use urban innovation ecosystems. This shift reflects the growing recognition of science parks as catalyst not only for innovative ecology, but also for urban regeneration and regional coordination. This evolution demands holistic planning, innovative financing, advanced management, and alignment with global sustainability agendas, alongside frameworks that accommodate both human stakeholders and non-human agents like AI and robotics. Consequently, the focus is shifting from mere talent attraction to long-term retention based on quality of life. Moving away from traditional large-scale industrial zones, modern science parks prioritize smaller-scale, locally embedded yet globally connected developments. By integrating physical real estate with economic programs, transport, and housing, these spaces aim to foster diversity, knowledge exchange, and co-creation, requiring planners to ensure they remain inclusive, adaptive, and well-governed.

Despite their growing global relevance in driving industrial resilience and regional development, the literature on science parks remains underexplored in two critical areas: the theoretical and methodological frameworks needed for next-generation parks and the systematic comparison of international practices. Addressing these gaps is essential to advance scholarly understanding and practice, ensuring science parks successfully evolve into integrated hubs of knowledge creation, industrial upgrading, and sustainable urban development.

This special issue therefore seeks to explore and evaluate the principles, theories and approaches in integrating the planning, financing, development and operation of science parks with relevant dimensions of industrial and urban development. We invite contributions that engage critically with the evolving role of science parks across diverse geographical and institutional contexts, and that advance our collective capacity to conceptualise, plan, design, develop and govern these spaces essential for the integrated development of industry and city towards the future. 

Paper topics may include but not limited to:

• ·      Coordinated mechanism of industrial planning and urban planning to build urban tech hub and innovation campus
• ·      Planning science parks for urban integration, mixed-use, flexible infrastructure and placemaking to support innovative ecology and quality of life
• ·      Integrated strategies that embed parks into urban regeneration and conversion and upgrading of buildings and old industrial parks into science parks as mixed use urban areas
• ·      Development of creative industrial spaces with global connectivity and regional coordination, combining business, education, social, transport, housing and environmental needs under spatial proximity
• ·      Valuation and appraisal of science parks in technological and supply chains
• ·      Investment of science parks in local, regional and international context
• ·      Implementing ethical, societal, and environmental governance frameworks in managing science parks and neighbourhoods in complex and mixed-use urban areas
• ·      Financing models, venture capital, government incentives, and sustainability-driven financial models underpin park growth and tenant innovation
• ·      Open arenas, living communities, and structured management frameworks that maximize value co-creation and knowledge transfer among stakeholders and nurture entrepreneurial cultures and ecosystems

This list is not exhaustive and interested authors are encouraged to contact Guest Editors with their proposals. Comparative analysis of science parks in Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North America, including urban regeneration projects and eco and inclusive industrial park development are desirable. International case studies that highlight the importance of context-sensitive and diversified strategies and understanding are encouraged too.