This interview with Adam Friedman of the New York Industrial Retention Network, illuminates reasons for retaining manufacturing in NYC, such as sustainability and job creation.
From the corresponding article:
"These jobs also contribute to the vitality of the city and our neighborhoods. High wages, unionized workplaces, benefits, the high walk-to-work ratio of blue-collar communities – for many people, industry jobs are the only jobs in the city that offer a living wage and decent work. Even so, there are tremendous pressures on manufacturers in the city to leave. High rents and inadequate and outdated zoning laws are squeezing manufacturers out of the city."
From the interview:
"The biggest threat to manufacturing in the city today is around land use and the shortage of decent, affordable, stable space. If you don't have stable space, if you don't have a solid industrial area, if your area is being gentrified and you're a manufacturer, there's no way you're going to make an investment 'cause you don't know if you can stay when your lease ends. So how can you buy a new piece of equipment if you're going to incur the expense of moving it or if you don't even know if your business is going to be in operation in a couple years."
FULL STORY: Manufacturing a Real Economy
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UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research