Mike White of Bird on the Wire Studios makes personalized signs and installations for local businesses and events. His space doubles as a collaborative makerspace. (Image: SGA staff)
After meeting with an array of stakeholders in Knoxville’s growing small business scene, we learned that the city could spread its vision farther and wider to support makers across the region. We recommended an amplified effort to be THE maker city and intentional real estate development in all corners of the MAWD. The city could also strengthen the support network between makers with direct and purposeful outreach to minority-owned businesses.
The Maker Council has since worked to articulate a vision and goals that are not exclusive to the MAWD, but instead apply to the region as a whole. The Maker City motto—which previously pertained to only a subset of the community—now blankets the region and people are becoming more and more aware of their local businesses.
Meanwhile, the city is pursuing Recode Knoxville—which will loosen restrictions on industrial space citywide—and a major streetscaping and infrastructure improvement project in the MAWD. Buildings in the area are also being acquired for shared workspace and a local entrepreneur has even announced a 10-year plan to build a new ballpark. These investments have resulted in increased foot traffic that the city envisioned from the get-go and the manufacturers in the area—like Mike White, who was able to move out of his garage and into a new business space—are benefitting.
Upgrades to Fifth Avenue will be a part of Youngstown’s large-scale public infrastructure project. (Image via The Business Journal)
Place-based strategies for citywide vitality
Knoxville and Youngstown have positioned themselves to grow regional awareness and success of small-scale manufacturing in different ways to meet their needs. Whether it’s through robust education and recruitment for creativity in neighboring rural areas, exhaustive branding for a homemade culture, or with long overdue infrastructure improvements on main street, both cities are unlocking the potential of their maker economies.
Communities across the country are discovering the potential of their small-scale manufacturers to breathe life back into forgotten corridors and downtowns. It’s these places that are bringing back competitive employment close to home, memorable consumer experiences, and greater economic resiliency. Both cities are stimulating this emerging sector in its own way, and we expect to discover entirely new stories in the six communities we are working with this year.
Smart Growth America currently leads the Small-Scale Manufacturing and Place-Based Economic Development program in partnership with Recast City and funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA). This project helps communities improve their small-scale manufacturing sector through strategic land use decisions.