Maker City Playbook | Kauffman Foundation & Gray Area

Challenge

Local and national economies depend on what's produced, how it's made, who makes it, and how those skills are acquired -- a dynamic shifting rapidly due to advanced manufacturing technologies and evolving education demands.

The playbook was created to document how people and organizations in American cities leverage the Maker movement to:

• Build community
• Create economic opportunity
• Revitalize manufacturing and supply chains
• Reshape education and workforce development
• Redefine civic engagement

Partners: Gray Area Foundation for the Arts, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Office of Science and Technology Policy (White House), Institute for the Future, Tech Shop, Urban Manufacturing Alliance, Maker Media, City Innovate Foundation.

Approach

Role: Research Lead and Contributor

Three primary research techniques were employed: survey (breadth), interviews (depth), and market research (context).

Research goals included uncovering trends, levels of engagement, lessons learned, and translatable insights for other communities.

In-depth interviews conducted with thought leaders, officials, community members, practitioners, students, teachers, developers, entrepreneurs, nonprofit directors, and corporate leaders across cities including Brooklyn, Chattanooga, Cleveland, San Diego, Pittsburgh, and Portland.

Analysis used grounded methods and open coding, affinity diagrams, actors mapping, and system mapping.

Result

A compendium of insights covering education, funding, policy, and local economies.

Resource: makercitybook.com