Making and City development. A case study of makerspace the Keilewerf in Rotterdam, the Netherlands

The emergence of maker spaces has been associated with an increased interest and attention in urban areas to bottom up, collaborative forms of urban revitalization, where people take matters in their own hands and where the responsibility for a sustainable urban future is shared. Though there seems to be a clear overarching vision and narrative, this research aims to find out what it is like in a real empirical case: what do stakeholders involved in a maker space see and think about making and its role in the city. The findings of this qualitative research show that making is perceived and valued differently by makers, founders of the maker space and the city. Making as part of the creative industries, contributes to employment, makes it possible for makers to develop their making business and boots the local economy as maker spaces are built on communities of networks.