Made in San Francisco
Description
Joni Baboci:
""An interesting case study in governing small-scale manufacturing is SF Made in San Francisco. It provides an interesting model in how a small-scale circular-economy focused group of manufacturers could start an integrated community through common governance. SF Made is a guild-like member-based community formed by the collaboration and participation of all of its members, local manufacturers. It is a nonprofit that provides much needed organization and coordination to artisans and makers with a particular interest in advanced manufacturing. Interestingly SF Made defines advanced manufacturing as: “not a new sector of industry but rather a set of digital tools and conceptual frameworks that can be woven into any manufacturing process.” From this mindset, advanced manufacturing, 3d printing and other maker processes are interpreted as a conceptual framework, rather than a well-defined set of technologies. I think similarly the circular-economy should be thought of as a strategic framework around which manufacturing technologies that still haven’t joined the mainstream can slowly coalesce into the status quo. In terms of urban manufacturing, SFMade provides another interesting example in how to kickstart an integrated, co-located, localist maker community. Through its different partnerships, SFMade was able to amend zoning codes and construct a new building which hosts most of the participating businesses. What is termed “inclusionary zoning” is one of the first examples of allowing light-industrial use to be mixed with other, more typical urban land uses. Referring back to the triple helix model in the previous essay, the SFMade ecosystem was further extended with Lime Lab, a manufacturing academy combining a prototyping studio with an education center supplying skilled workers to the future of manufacturing."