(15-01-2008)
Conference Manufacturing Cities in Dortmund
On the 17th and 18th of January 2008, Dortmund hosts a conference with the title "Manufacturing Cities in the Knowledge-Based economy: Challenges and Policy Options"
Over the last decades, many cities in Europe have experienced a deep and often painful process of de-industrialization. Manufacturing industries closed down, or moved out, resulting in large job losses or even regional economic crises. Cities are responding by fostering new ‘fashionable’ industries such as ICT, biotechnology, high-tech business and business services. Recently, the ‘creative industries’ are the prime target in many cities. Meanwhile, however, manufacturing industries are still there. In many cities, they still take a significant share of the urban economy, although in a radically different form. Due to outsourcing, offshoring, restructuring and upgrading, the ‘knowledge intensity’ of manufacturing industries has increased dramatically. Manufacturing industries have become an integrated part of regional, national and international production networks, and they are now fully fledged into the global knowledge based economy. What does this imply for urban policy?
This conference centers around the results of an international comparative study by the European Institute for Comparative Urban Research, on the new role of manufacturing industries in todays’ knowledge based urban economy. For this study, an international research team has conducted detailed case studies on the dynamics of ‘traditional’ manufacturing industries, in the following cities: Eindhoven, Dortmund, Munich, Paris, Porto, Rotterdam, Shanghai, and Turku. In each city, a number of interviews were conducted with CEOs, research institutes and policy makers. The following questions were central stage:
How are production systems evolving (in various industries), and what is the impact on the local level?
- Will the decline in manufacturing industries continue?
- How is manufacturing integrated with other urban sectors?
- Does a loss of manufacturing also imply a loss in R&D and innovative activity?
- To what extent is it possible to separate manufacturing from R&D and services activity in space?
- What is/should be the role of urban and regional management in urban industrial development?
- Do we need a new type of local/regional industry policy?
Two days of interaction
These questions will be discussed during a two-day conference in Dortmund. On the first day, the results of the study are to be discussed and put into perspective. The key findings of the study will be presented by the Euricur research team, and there will be reflections on the theme from the part of the industry, the European Commission, and the City of Dortmund. The afternoon session will be more interactive: in thematic sessions, specific aspects will be discussed more in detail. The second day, the conference attendees have the opportunity to see modern industry in action. Several field visits are offered to interesting companies and industrial site in the Dortmund region.
The conference is organised by Euricur and the City of Dortmund. For questions, contact the project leader, Dr Willem van Winden, at vwinden@few.eur.nl
Download the conference brochure.
« back
