Pratt Center
June 12, 2012
Urban Manufacturing Alliance
In cities across the U.S., the public and private sectors are working together to grow small manufacturers and create thousands of good jobs through innovative land use strategies, local branding, and sustainable product design.
The Urban Manufacturing Alliance (UMA) builds off this momentum by connecting small business advocates, city governments, manufacturing associations, and urban industrial experts to:
- Develop and advance public policy and non-legislative initiatives to grow the urban manufacturing sector at the local and federal levels; and
- Build a networking platform and communication infrastructure for sharing best practices and connecting U.S. cities around urban manufacturing.
Led by Pratt Center in partnership with SFMade, UMA currently includes representatives from Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, New York City, Memphis, Oakland, Philadelphia, Portland, and San Francisco.
UMA has emerged at a defining moment for American manufacturing. After four decades of retraction, the sector has recently shown promising signs of growth. But this renaissance has been particularly notable in several U.S. cities – a trend predating the recent national job figures. It is largely attributable to the ingenuity of forward-thinking small businesses, public-private sector partnerships, and innovative policy at the local level.
Through strategic collaboration and coordinated advocacy, UMA works to strengthen the burgeoning national movement for urban manufacturing while building on the success of local efforts in U.S. cities across the country. Toward these ends, UMA is pursuing several interrelated strategies involving supply chain linkages, place-based marketing, targeted workforce development, energy efficient business practices, and dynamic land-use policies.
More information
Urban Manufacturing Alliance Wins Commitment From Clinton Global Initiative
Urban Manufacturing Alliance Report - notes from first convening