The Future of Manufacturing in America’s Cities

Published on Aug 17, 2009

Updated on Nov 3, 2022

Written by Emsi Burning Glass

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What role will manufacturing play in urban settings in coming years? Aaron M. Renn at newgeography.com writes that manufacturing can still be an important cog — even if most economic developers have a “decidedly post-industrial” future vision for large communities.

This city of tomorrow is made up of people living upscale in town condos, riding a light rail line to work at a smartly designed modern office, and spending enormous sums – with the requisite sales tax benefits – entertaining themselves in cafes, restaurants, swanky shops, or artistic events.

In contrast the factory has no place in this future city. Indeed industry is considered a blight that needs to be eliminated or repurposed.

Renn goes on to give some interesting insights on educational attainment in cities and manufacturing production on a broad scale. You can read the full article here.