A new report from the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program documents the rise in manufacturing employment during the recovery. Motoko Rich parses the findings, their geographical implications, and whether a long-term turnaround is in the cards.
While the uptick in manufacturing jobs can be felt in regions (largely metropolitan) across the country, with a total of 489,000 jobs added since the beginning of 2010, the findings of the new Brookings report may sound especially good to those in the South and Midwest, notes Rich.
"Southern regions remain relatively strong in manufacturing, with eight metropolitan areas on that list. But the usual narrative of an inexorably declining Rust Belt seems not quite accurate – or at least for now. 'It's possible that this bounce-back is just a bounce-back and won't last,' said Howard Wial, an economist and fellow at the Brookings Institution who was one of the authors of the report. 'But there is an opportunity for it to be more.'"
At Next American City, Matt Bevilacqua expands on the last point, and the prospects for long-term growth.
"Perhaps the study's most lasting implication is that manufacturers have increasingly fewer reasons to outsource their operations to foreign countries. Though labor costs in China still remain well below those in the U.S., they've been rising more rapidly than ever in recent years. Add that to transportation costs and the fact that the Chinese yuan has risen in value, and manufacturers have a pretty convincing case to think twice before following in Apple's footsteps."
FULL STORY: Where Manufacturing Is Gaining

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

The French Solution to Congested Tunnels: Make Them Car-Free
Bay Area transportation officials keep expanding car capacity. Lyon’s Croix Rousse Tunnel offers a different way.

Missouri Governor Reverses Anti-Discrimination Housing Policies
A new state law bars cities from prohibiting source-of-income discrimination against tenants using Section 8 housing vouchers.

USDOT Launches Unfunded 'SAFE ROADS' Program
The program targets “distractions” and “political messages or artwork,” and paves the way for autonomous vehicles.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Fort Worth
planning NEXT
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie