Fall NEARC 2018

AUTHORS: Jenna Davis, University of Massachusetts-Amherst

ABSTRACT: As planners face increasing pressure to rezone industrial land to more lucrative residential and commercial uses, policymakers have called attention to the declining stock of industrial land in urban centers. In response, cities have adopted industrial land preservation policies that aim to mitigate the decline of industrial land. However, the decision to convert or preserve industrial land carries considerable tradeoffs. While industrial land preservation advocates argue that industrial land provides space for critical urban service infrastructure and houses businesses that offer middle-class jobs for workers with minimal formal educational credentials, industrial land can provide space for residential development in tight housing markets and contribute more to the tax base.

This presentation will use GIS to explore the scope of industrial land decline in NYC from the early 2000s to the present, examining which neighborhoods have faced the steepest decline in industrial land. In addition, this poster presentation will examine the extent to which existing economic development policies have supported industrial uses on the city’s remaining stock of industrial land. In particular, this presentation will examine the extent to which businesses that are located on industrial land and have received economic development incentives from the NYC Economic Development Corporation are industrial versus non-industrial companies. As planners take stock of industrial land in their own communities, this presentation will examine what factors might be driving the conversion of industrial land to other uses and the extent to which existing urban policies encourage the preservation or conversion of industrial land.