Bloomberg Businessweek New York City's Manufacturing Renaissance
Sep 18, 2025
Lindsay Greene, President and CEO of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, leads the transformation of this historic site into a hub for climate tech and advanced manufacturing. She discusses the innovative ecosystem that promotes urban manufacturing and addresses challenges like climate change and healthcare access. Greene highlights the Navy Yard's role in rethinking manufacturing in big cities and the diverse array of companies that thrive there, from distilleries to robotics startups, showcasing the future of New York's industrial landscape.
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Why Cities Make Sense For Manufacturing
- Urban manufacturing thrives on proximity to talent, customers, and corporate partners in big cities like New York.
- Lindsay Greene says the Brooklyn Navy Yard attracts firms that capitalize on local workers and the metropolis' consumer base.
A Diverse Industrial Ecosystem
- The Brooklyn Navy Yard hosts a wide variety of manufacturers from food ingredients to electric motorcycles and medical devices.
- Greene notes the Yard even retains shipbuilding using original Navy infrastructure for specialized high-value production.
High-Value Goods Suit City Costs
- Urban manufacturers tend to focus on high-value products that justify city costs or serve local consumption directly.
- Greene explains that complex consumer markets and talent density allow these firms to operate profitably in cities.