Abstract
Suburban employment centres established within a master planned community (MPC) are now becoming a common feature in these large scale developments. Government planners have encouraged this to achieve a job-housing balance and minimise work-related travel, while private developers attempt to fulfill their promise of a lifestyle to 'live, work and play' for the MPC residents. However, these employment centres within the MPC suffer a higher than average vacancy rate as compared to surrounding commercial areas. Current research shows that only one in ten MPC residents work in the same suburb that they live in whereas traditional subdivision residents have a better than one in six chance to work where they live. More than seventy per cent of businesses are located in the middle to outer suburbs where these MPCs are located paradoxically they are just not located within them. MPC employment centres therefore appear like a 'wallflower' - well presented, manicured and providing a sense of exclusivity but are often overlooked by potential tenants - more specifically office type firms. Delivering a successful high occupancy MPC employment centre needs a concerted effort from all concerned. By the nature of the MPC as a suburban employment location the level of support needs to be more intensive with the focus and intention of economic development rather than merely an urban development project. This paper will provide the contextual background of this issue by investigating the supply and demand requirements of firms and what MPC employment centres can do to attract them.