(Un)making space for manufacturing in the city: The double edge of pro-makers urban policies in Brussels

Abstract

This article discusses the implications of the “maker narrative” for urban policies by analysing the issues raised by the implementation of mixed-use zoning and other policies deemed to ‘make room’ for manufacturing in the city. Such policies, by focusing on innovative and environmentally friendly activities, may fail to acknowledge that local and inclusive urban manufacturing still play a role in enhancing social inclusion and increasing resilience of urban economies. We question the possibility of attracting advanced manufacturers while preserving traditional productions, promoting an inclusive economy, and coping with spatial and socioeconomic constraints by means of planning and design policies. Our applied research is grounded on both qualitative and quantitative data collected in the production-oriented district of Cureghem in Brussels. By analysing three different planning actions implemented in the district, we can identify a set of arising conflicts concerning the co-habitation of residential and productive functions within urban contexts, due to the substitution of traditional manufacturing activities with unembedded innovative industries, together with the potential exclusion of the low-skilled tier of local workforce from the development processes triggered by these policies. Policy recommendations identify co-creation initiatives, pilot projecting and micro-zoning as suitable takeaways for practice to overcome such weaknesses and drawbacks.