by Worldchanging NYC local blogger, Mark Castera: Even if you’ve read the Mayor’s amazing Sustainability Plan for New York City, you may have missed the section about creating greener jobs and manufacturing zones. That’s because there is no plan to create greener jobs and manufacturing zones. You’ll find sections about housing, trees, parks, global warming and reducing traffic, but nothing about the growing green economy. It’s really a shame. Sure, the city needs more affordable housing, and luxury condos are good for our tax base. But people also need places to work for decent pay. The truth is that the city’s manufacturing jobs pay an average of $41,000 annually, which is about $10,000 more than comparable jobs in retail or restaurants ( see this entry on Wikipedia). There are still over 118,600 manufacturing jobs in the city, but that number shrinks every year, as our manufacturing districts disappear under a rising sea of hipster lofts and glass towers. And even where these two land uses co-exist, housing usually wins out in the end — a result of skyrocketing rents and complaints from new residents who don’t like the noise and pollution of industry. But there’s hope for a revitalized manufacturing… (more)
(Posted by WorldChanging Team in Urban Design and Planning at 1:05 PM)