In large cities in developed countries, the share of manufacturing has declined drastically in recent decades, whilst the share of services has grown. Many manufacturing plants have closed or moved to lower-cost locations. Manufacturing is pushed out of cities because of space constraints, rising costs of land and real estate, and increasing environmental awareness; at the same time it is attracted to other regions because of cost advantages, availability of space and better transportation possibilities. The ongoing process of globalisation speeds up the shift of manufacturing employment to lower-cost locations. 'Routinised' activities tend to disappear more rapidly than complex manufacturing. This book discusses the new role of manufacturing in the emerging knowledge-based economies of cities. A central issue addressed in the book is how manufacturing activity relates to typically urban 'knowledge-based' activities, such as design and R & D. Is a manufacturing base a necessary condition to develop and expand R & D and other high-level services? How important is the link between manufacturing on the one hand, and R & D, design and command/control functions on the other, and to what extent do these functions benefit from co-location? What strategic options are open to urban and regional policymakers? Taking a comparative approach to answering these questions, the book unravels the complex interaction between manufacturing and knowledge-based activity in cities and identifies some typical patterns.

It shows how manufacturing industries have undergone a process of fundamental changes, with far-reaching consequences for regions. Combining insights from economic geography, industrial organisation and urban studies, this book contains extensive practical examples, cases and illustrations. It will prove a valuable source of information and analysis for both researchers and policymakers alike. Book jacket.