CATEGORY

Urban Manufacturing

The Case for Urban Manufacturing

With cities growing and due to skyrocketing demand for housing, vast areas of industrial land have been rezoned. So, what is still being produced in cities? And why does it matter? Here’s why cities...

Urban Manufacturing: Key Terms & Definitions

To help navigate the sometimes alien world of city-based production, we've compiled a quick-reference guide to some of the most common urban manufacturing terms and definitions used by the Cities of Making project and...

Co-location: How Mixed Spaces Benefit Urban Manufacturing

Urban manufacturing needs a range of suitable spaces to thrive. Diversifying the uses within buildings, blocks, and neighbourhoods opens up considerable gains: we should consider co-location as a primary tool for making cities more...

How Can Cities Support Manufacturing with Intelligent Transport Design?

Transport is integral to urban manufacturing. It is the gateway to resources and the marketplace. Businesses rely on the logistics that links them with staff, partners, and clients. Cities aiming to (re)build and develop...

Why Your City Needs a Curator

Cities of Making advocates for establishing the role of a city Curator to change perceptions, fight urban manufacturing’s corner, and facilitate its growth. But what exactly can this champion achieve, and how can you...

How Urban Manufacturing Can Contribute to a Circular Economy

Increasingly, cities have become aware of the fact that the current linear use of resources (taking raw materials from the environment, making products from them, and eventually throwing them away as waste) is no...

Urban Manufacturing: The Challenges

Urban manufacturing presents many benefits. To have it reach its full potential, however, we need to tackle several challenges. From defining the concept to bringing together myriad actors – here come the top six...

How to Establish a Curator in Your City

A Curator has the power to unlock a city’s manufacturing potential, but how exactly can we go about getting one in place? We look at who best fits the role in your city, set...

Urban Manufacturing in London

London has a long history of manufacturing. Its industrial activity continues up to this day in areas like Haringey, Old Oak & Park Royal, and the Maker Mile. The Cities of Making project examined...

How Can Urban Manufacturers Make from Waste?

Manufacturing in its many manifestations creates mountains of waste. This presents an opportunity. With the correct systems in place, waste becomes a resource and opens the door to innovative businesses, job creation, and economic...

Urban Manufacturing: Facts & Figures

Are you wondering why urban manufacturing matters? Still trying to understand what it is all about? We are here to help. Digging through the extensive material of the Cities of Making project, we have...

Lessons from Urban Manufacturing Through Time

The 21st-century European city is an amalgamation of the old and new. Contemporary manufacturing is heavily influenced by what came before. This heritage is key to its identity, survival, and revival, but time has...

Why and How Should Urban Manufacturers Collaborate?

Urban manufacturers hardly collaborate. Fair enough. Who wants to share trade secrets after all? The Cities of Making project challenges this perception. Their findings indicate that exchange between urban manufacturers brings plenty of benefits....

Urban Manufacturing: Grey or Green?

Is urban manufacturing bad for the environment? Or can it be green and play a role in the fight against climate change? We look at the current picture of production to see how sustainably...

CityChanger Sepp Eisenriegler: Eliminating Planned Obsolescence

Spend less and save the environment: these are the benefits of repairing durable household electrical appliances over buying cheap replacements every few years. The fact we even can give products a second lease of...