Empowering Craftsmanship in Makerspaces - Managers’ Perception and Enabling of Craftsmanship in Utrecht’s Creative Cluster Makers van Merwede

Place-specific, small-scale craft manufacturing is experiencing a renewed interest in urban cultural policy as it addresses issues associated with consumption-oriented city development. Under this potential craft revival, the extent to which urban manufacturing centres such as makerspaces facilitate craft is not clear. While prior literature often relates makerspaces to digitalization, less academic interest has been shown in the relationship between makerspaces and the wider revival of craftsmanship in the urban context. In order to respond to such a knowledge gap, we must look to the managers of such spaces, those facilitate crafts and making within their makerspace in response to urban policy challenges. Hence, this research investigates managers’ perception and facilitation of values of craftsmanship in the makerspaces of Makers van Merwede, a creative district in Utrecht. The research method contains in-depth interviews with managers from three of the makerspaces, accompanied by observation of public events and document analysis of Merwede’s redevelopment plan. The main findings of this research indicate that managers perceive and facilitate values of craftsmanship in ways that foster a better collective making environment. They reinforce the cultural, social and economic values of craftsmanship within a excellence-driven, trust-based community and strengthening the societal values of craft externally, in the broader urban area. The redevelopment agenda of Merwede requires makerspaces to incorporate a mixed-use future neighbourhood and, while creativity is sought to be retained, urban policy still requires some makerspaces give way to residential plans. Hence, managers tend to facilitate craft towards the needs of the neighbourhood to define their involvement in future redevelopment plans. In conclusion, craft is experiencing a revival in Makers van Merwede because the dimensions of craftsmanship are actively practiced there. Nevertheless, a more progressive policy should be advocated to harness crafts and making.