In May 2017, in the heart of one of New England’s epicenters of urban
manufacturing, we heard from a bright high school student who’s trying to fx the
gender gap among school-aged maker programs. We showcased new research
demonstrating the growth of place-based manufacturers committed to revitalizing
their communities. And land use practitioners from throughout the country
strategized on how to diversify investors in industrial and community development,
with a vision of bringing both non-proft and for-proft real estate developers to the
table.

Our Spring Gathering in Somerville, Massachusetts was held from May 17th to May
19th beneath the title “Making, Scaling, and Inclusion.” It was our first Gathering of
2017 and our fifth Gathering since 2015. If there’s any way to gauge the success of a
convening like this, it’s the volume of interaction between sessions. Our more than
120 attendees – ranging from architects to community organizers to makers – filled
our host Aeronaut Brewing Company’s hall with conversation during session breaks,
as they built connections and shared intel while drinking locally manufactured beer
from a company that targets its hires from the nearby community.

Attendees also spent time at Autodesk’s Boston-based Building, Innovation,
Learning and Design (BUILD) space, discussing how academic institutions are
supporting inclusive growth within maker ecosystems. And nearly 70 economic
development officers from the region participated in a manufacturing workshop
with Massachusetts economic development and fnance agency MassDevelopment,
where UMA exchanged a range of land use, workforce and equity strategies.

This Gathering program wouldn’t have been possible without support from our title
sponsor Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, our lead sponsors the Surdna
Foundation, MassDevelopment and Aeronaut Brewing Company and our supporting
sponsors Bank of America Merrill Lynch, the Boston chapter of the Local Initiatives
Support Corporation and the Boston Foundation, along with so many other local
partners.