Urban and manufacturing after the pandemic, preparing a new ground for the productive city

The chapter critically discusses the spatial effects of ongoing transformations of production models in European cities, looking at the role of manufacturing and at changing work patterns, before and during the pandemic. While important signs of the vitality of manufacturing, as well as the diffusion of new, collaborative workspaces were already visible in the last ten years, the strain imposed on local production and service systems by the restrictions linked to the global health crisis asks for a new way of interpreting the ongoing transformations, as well as a new possible role for public policies, at different scales, with an attention towards the dimension of preparedness.