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The Maker Movement and Urban Economic Development

Author

Listed:
  • Laura Wolf-Powers
  • Marc Doussard
  • Greg Schrock
  • Charles Heying
  • Max Eisenburger
  • Stephen Marotta

Abstract

Problem, research strategy, and findings: The maker movement is placing small-scale manufacturing development on mayoral agendas across the United States and promises to reinvigorate production economies in central cities. To make effective policy, planners need more knowledge about the entrepreneurs at the center of this phenomenon. Here we present a qualitative investigation of urban maker economies. We draw on semistructured interviews with firms and supportive organizations in Chicago (IL), New York City (NY), and Portland (OR). A limitation of our approach stems from the unavailability of population parameters; we cannot confirm that our sample reflects the universe of maker enterprises. We find that makers draw on ecosystems comprising mainly for-profit firms. The public and nonprofit sectors are important in areas where markets do not provide the resources that fledgling makers require. We find 3 distinct types of maker enterprise: micromakers, global innovators, and emerging place-based manufacturers. Each makes a different contribution to local and regional economic development.Takeaway for practice: Planners can maximize the potential of the maker movement by distinguishing among the 3 types of maker firms. Practitioners focused on employment creation should prioritize emerging place-based manufacturers, helping them build supply chain connections and ensuring that they have affordable space into which to expand. Artisanal micromakers also generate economic benefits, as do global innovators focused on product design and prototyping. But emerging place-based manufacturers have the highest potential for employment creation, both directly and via the business growth they stimulate.

Suggested Citation

  • Laura Wolf-Powers & Marc Doussard & Greg Schrock & Charles Heying & Max Eisenburger & Stephen Marotta, 2017. "The Maker Movement and Urban Economic Development," Journal of the American Planning Association, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 83(4), pages 365-376, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:rjpaxx:v:83:y:2017:i:4:p:365-376
    DOI: 10.1080/01944363.2017.1360787
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Bergman, Brian J. & McMullen, Jeffery S., 2020. "Entrepreneurs in the making: Six decisions for fostering entrepreneurship through maker spaces," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 63(6), pages 811-824.
    2. Declan Martin & Carl Grodach, 2023. "RESILIENCE AND ADAPTATION IN GENTRIFYING URBAN INDUSTRIAL DISTRICTS: The Experience of Cultural Manufacturers in San Francisco and Melbourne," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(4), pages 625-644, July.
    3. Carl Grodach & Liz Taylor & Declan Martin & Joe Hurley, 2023. "Regulating Sustainable Production," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(4), pages 186-197.
    4. Browder, Russell E. & Aldrich, Howard E. & Bradley, Steven W., 2019. "The emergence of the maker movement: Implications for entrepreneurship research," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 459-476.
    5. Chong‐Wen Chen, 2022. "Approaching sustainable development goals: Inspirations from the Arts and Crafts movement to reshape production and consumption patterns," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(6), pages 1671-1681, December.
    6. Tanya Tsui & David Peck & Bob Geldermans & Arjan van Timmeren, 2020. "The Role of Urban Manufacturing for a Circular Economy in Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-22, December.
    7. Jason S. Spicer, 2020. "Worker and Community Ownership as an Economic Development Strategy: Innovative Rebirth or Tired Retread of a Failed Idea?," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 34(4), pages 325-342, November.
    8. Paige Clayton, 2024. "Different outcomes for different founders? Local organizational sponsorship and entrepreneurial finance," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 62(1), pages 23-62, January.
    9. Nagao, Kenkichi & Edgington, David W., 2023. "Local industrial displacement, zoning conflicts and monozukuri planning in Higashi Osaka, Japan," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    10. Stefania Fiorentino, 2019. "The Maker Faire of Rome as a window of observation on the new perspectives for local economic development and the new urban entrepreneurial ecosystems," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 34(4), pages 364-381, June.
    11. Tara Vinodrai & Brenton Nader & Christian Zavarella, 2021. "Manufacturing space for inclusive innovation? A study of makerspaces in southern Ontario," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 36(3), pages 205-223, May.
    12. Bastian Lange & Suntje Schmidt, 2021. "Entrepreneurial ecosystems as a bridging concept? A conceptual contribution to the debate on entrepreneurship and regional development," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(2), pages 790-807, June.
    13. Greg Schrock & Marc Doussard & Laura Wolf-Powers & Stephen Marotta & Max Eisenburger, 2019. "Appetite for Growth: Challenges to Scale for Food and Beverage Makers in Three U.S. Cities," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 33(1), pages 39-50, February.
    14. Maurice Jansen & Amanda Brandellero & Rosanne van Houwelingen, 2021. "Port-City Transition: Past and Emerging Socio-Spatial Imaginaries and Uses in Rotterdam’s Makers District," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 6(3), pages 166-180.
    15. Larry L. Howell & Terri Bateman, 2023. "Extending research impact by sharing maker information," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-4, December.
    16. Stephen Fox, 2019. "Moveable Production Systems for Sustainable Development and Trade: Limitations, Opportunities and Barriers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-21, September.
    17. Steve Marotta, 2021. "Making sense of ‘maker’: Work, identity, and affect in the maker movement," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 53(4), pages 638-654, June.

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