Documenting Urban Manufacturing

Already three month has been gone from the start of my doctoral path. The project has evolved into a more refined version, limited to the time that I spent on working on it. It feels is shaping in a personal way. The first deadline, which will decide if the way I’m approaching the study is fine, is coming, and I want to post the updates on my work on a new ledger. I’m exploring how we can better capture and share knowledge within urban manufacturing – that is, bringing production back into cities. It’s a fascinating area with huge potential to shape our future!

Background

Historically, factories drove economic growth and shaped where people lived. Initially, they relied on manual labour and raw materials, evolving over time with innovations like interchangeable parts and steam power. However, this industrial boom also brought pollution and social challenges. Now, we’re seeing a resurgence of manufacturing within cities, driven by new technologies and a desire for more localised production.

Research Questions

I’m particularly interested in how we can improve documentation practices to support this urban manufacturing movement. My main question is: “How can digital documentation help us capture and share knowledge about these processes?” I’ve broken that down into smaller questions too, like how to make documentation flexible enough for different factory setups, and how to encourage manufacturers to see documentation as a valuable tool.

What I will do

My research involves several steps:

• Literature Review: I’m diving deep into existing academic work on urban manufacturing and digital documentation.
• Gathering Insights: I’m collaborating with the LAUDS Factories project, interviewing manufacturers and running focus groups to understand their needs and challenges firsthand.
• Developing a Methodology: Based on what I learn, I’ll develop a practical methodology for documenting urban manufacturing processes – something that can be easily used and adapted.
• Testing & Refining: Finally, I’ll test this methodology in real-world factory settings and refine it based on the results.

Why This Matters

Urban manufacturing has the potential to create more resilient, sustainable, and locally focused economies. However, we need to overcome some hurdles:

• Knowledge Sharing: Many manufacturers don’t see documentation as a priority, hindering collaboration and innovation.
• Adaptability: Current documentation methods often struggle to keep up with the diverse nature of urban manufacturing processes.
• Accessibility: Valuable knowledge is often trapped in individual heads or inaccessible formats.

My research aims to address these issues by creating a framework that makes documentation easier, more valuable, and more accessible for everyone involved. This aligns with broader initiatives like the Fab City Network and the European Bauhaus initiative, which are all working towards more localised and sustainable urban environments.

Impact

Ultimately, this project contributes to a growing movement toward more resilient and locally anchored manufacturing systems. By improving documentation practices, we can help these systems thrive, creating opportunities for skills development, economic growth, and a more sustainable future for our cities. The methodology I develop will be integrated into the LAUDS Factories project, allowing us to share best practices with manufacturers across Europe.

In the next ledgers I will continue sharing the actual state of the doctoral thesis before then jumping into the first step, the Literature Review.

Feel free to connect if you are working in related fields. Thanks for reading this out, Matteo Subet (aka Zumat).

How to cite this page:

Subet, Matteo (2025). Ledger: PhD State of the Arts - Month 3. Retrieved on 18 December 2025 from zumat.ch/ledger/phdActualStateOfTheArts-month3.html