In Defense of
Manufacturing A n e w m o d e l f o r t h e f u t u r e o f m a n u fac t u r i n g i n p o s t- i n d u s t r i a l c i t i e s
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anufacturing can save our
part of the solution to what ails post-industrial economies. We should not view manufacturing as a dying economic sector because we cannot dismiss all manufacturing. Demonstrating the viability of manufacturing, the nonprofit industrial development corporation Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center (GMDC) is leading the way in showing how cities can strengthen local economies by rehabilitating abandoned industrial facilities into affordable spaces for small manufacturers. This article will examine GMDC’s innovative role in New York’s manufacturing sector and its decision to launch a Philadelphia Project. The article concludes with a discussion about how the time is ripe for the City of Philadelphia to consider and incorporate GMDC’s model of economic development where manufacturing can be an integral component for the renaissance of our de-industrialized cities. Through a complex process of technological advancement and globalization, one in three American manufacturing jobs has disappeared
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cities; it can be
Michelle Lin
in the past decade (Greenhouse, 2010). Contemporary discussions of economic development solutions for de-industrialized cities broadly fall into two categories. The first one looks at the physical conditions of the city to address the thousands of derelict buildings sitting idle across the city’s landscape (Vey, 2008). Programs that rehabilitate neglected industrial buildings for commercial or residential uses fit under this approach. In particular, market-based strategies and the rezoning of industrial land use have become primary mechanisms to encourage developers to redevelop abandoned, moth-balled properties. The conversion of industrial loft spaces into luxury condos is one of the most recognizable outcomes of this approach. The second approach to the economic development of de-industrialized cities focuses on job creation and economic growth by shifting the city towards a “knowledge-based” economy (Court, 2002). A knowledge-based economy refers to jobs associated with the information technology (IT) sector. Advances in digital technologies have sped up the process of globalization, thereby placing a premium on managerial, professional,
and service jobs that support the IT sector. To become a “knowledge city,” cities commit large investments into research institutions that can develop technological innovation and advances in science and engineering. As the knowledge industry grows, job growth will follow. Advocates of this approach believe that cities with a strong knowledge economy will increase its competitive edge in the global marketplace.
A Model for New Manufacturing The Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center is a Brooklyn-based non-profit industrial developer is demonstrating the relevance of manufacturing and light industry in today’s economy. Since 1992, GMDC has been creating affordable spaces for artisans and small manufacturers in the Greenpoint area, which is a historical stronghold for manufacturers and light industry in the area. Through the acquisition, rehabilitation, and management of underused and neglected industrial spaces, GMDC has carved out an important space for manufacturers to remain in the New York market. To date, GMDC has rehabilitated six and currently owns four properties,of