Many communities require developers to set aside homes for affordable housing. But what about requiring developers to set aside affordable workspace for small-scale manufacturing businesses?

The textiles industry in the United States is changing, and coming back to a town (or neighborhood) near you. It will not look anything like the large-scale manufacturing of textiles of 20-50 years ago.

There is an exciting opportunity these days in the growth of local small-scale manufacturing businesses. And real estate developers and city governments are taking notice.

Industrial properties are scattered throughout our cities and towns. Many of these industrial spaces are filled with small manufacturing and production businesses, from carpentry to food production to hardware fabrication. They are the backbone of our local economies. Yet these businesses, and the buildings they are in, rarely garner the long-term investment that they merit.

Kyle is third generation in the family printing press business that opened in 1955. His family bought a 35,000 square foot warehouse for production near the intersection of I-75 and I-275 in Cincinnati 40 years ago to expand operations. But when printing work started to dry up after 2000, Kyle and his family started looking for a way to save the family business.

San Francisco just cracked open their toolbox to solve a problem vexing many cities right now – how to create more affordable space for local maker industries through the power of private sector development. Their recent city zoning change made this experiment possible, but it is only one tool that cities need to apply in an effort to create vibrant neighborhoods…

Ilana Preuss spoke at the 2014 Meeting of the Minds conference in Detroit, MI about the potential for small-scale manufacturing to help create stronger neighborhoods with more jobs and vibrant places.

There is a new opportunity in our changing cities to connect more residents with economic opportunity. We can do so by integrating small-scale industrial uses into our city development. Let’s call this mixed-use industrial real estate.