ABSTRACT
The Introduction lays out the intention and theoretical frameworks of the book.
The book, first of all, develops an understanding of the physical city in terms of its social and economic function, going beyond typical approaches to urban form and urban design. The question of production is central to this understanding. Production is seen in two ways in relation to the city: first, in specific historic and contemporary descriptions of how the city accommodates industry; and second, as a means of understanding the city itself.
In support of these overarching understandings, the Introduction introduces several ideas: that the history of production and manufacture may shed light on new forms of urban industry and how they are physically accommodated; the importance of production in its potential connection to the everyday life of the city; and changes to the Western city allowing it to incorporate new forms of industry. A major point is that production is not dead in the Western city. The decline of the number of production workers stopped in about 2012, and there are many initiatives involving innovative production techniques and locally-based attitudes toward manufacturing and food production.
