Cities of Making: Resources for Activating New Urban Industry through Technology, Spatial Design and Transition Governance

Duration: 04/17 – 09/19

Across Europe, urban manufacturing has witnessed widespread decline as shifting global economies have seen much of this activity offshored elsewhere. Cities of Making: Resources for Activating New Urban Industry through Technology, Spatial Design and Transition Governance explores the potential opportunities for urban authorities to reverse this decline by revitalizing these industries.

Through partnerships and field research in three cities in Belgium (Brussels), the Netherlands (Rotterdam) and the UK (London), the project teams will develop profiles, assessments and recommendations on the barriers and potential strengths in the different case study areas. Working with municipal governments, the findings from the research will inform the development of innovative resource kits and tailored transition plans for each city to guide their future industrial strategies.

Project webpage

Ben Croxford (Principal Investigator, Senior Lecturer)
Benedict Dellot (Associate Director)
Teresa Domenech (Senior Teaching Fellow in Sustainable Resources)

Series of workshops in case study cities with local authorities, manufacturers and academics.

Development of City Diagnosis Report on London’s manufacturing industry, highlighting its significance and needs.

Creation and piloting of resource kits in case study cities, to be replicated in other urban centres.