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> That leads to the question: if a factory doesn't bring jobs to town, is there a reason locals should still be positive towards it? If "positive" means "throw

> That leads to the question: if a factory doesn't bring jobs to town, is there a reason locals should still be positive towards it? If "positive" means "throw tax money at them" then no. But if "positive" means "not actively opposed" then why not? Also, in this context, "no jobs" means "fewer jobs than an old world manual factory". Having a thriving community of factories, even if they are not piled high with "Modern Times" style workers is still very likely to be a very positive thing for a community. Advanced factories still need service, they need supplies and end products shipped to and from, they need said supplies to be made and most importantly, they need innovation which attract innovators which starts the cycle over again.

_delirium 15y ago
For "why not", I suppose it depends on whether the factory has any downsides. Traditionally they have some pros and some cons: they bring jobs and tax revenue and a thriving "stuff is happening" feeling to the local economy, but they can also bring things like odors, air and water pollution, noise, increased truck traffic, and possibly requirements for new infrastructure (e.g. wider roads). That's why new factories can run into opposition in a way that new Google offices don't. I agree they bring some needs for service as well, but even that might be non-local. In the story I can't seem to find, that was (correctly or not) a complaint of the local government, that of the people the factory did employ, many weren't even locally based, but Parisians who worked remotely for a third-party servicing firm, and drove out to the factory only when needed.
- mseebach 15y ago
  Most of the grievances can be (and are) addressed by placing the factories in business zones that are placed near to transport links and a certain distance from residential zones. Obviously I don't know the details of the story, but it sounds like it goes both ways: This local government is likely home to a lot of people that would commute to Paris. And as they attract more factories, eventually someone might see an opportunity to open a local services firm. After all, time spend driving out to the factories are wasted. I recently had an errand in a business district near a major airport. As I cycled through, I enjoyed picking out the chain of supporting firms (airline, caterer, catering equipment, for one). Neither HAS to be near each other, but if practicality line up with opportunity, why not?

_delirium 15y ago

For "why not", I suppose it depends on whether the factory has any downsides. Traditionally they have some pros and some cons: they bring jobs and tax revenue and a thriving "stuff is happening" feeling to the local economy, but they can also bring things like odors, air and water pollution, noise, increased truck traffic, and possibly requirements for new infrastructure (e.g. wider roads). That's why new factories can run into opposition in a way that new Google offices don't. I agree they bring some needs for service as well, but even that might be non-local. In the story I can't seem to find, that was (correctly or not) a complaint of the local government, that of the people the factory did employ, many weren't even locally based, but Parisians who worked remotely for a third-party servicing firm, and drove out to the factory only when needed.

mseebach 15y ago
Most of the grievances can be (and are) addressed by placing the factories in business zones that are placed near to transport links and a certain distance from residential zones. Obviously I don't know the details of the story, but it sounds like it goes both ways: This local government is likely home to a lot of people that would commute to Paris. And as they attract more factories, eventually someone might see an opportunity to open a local services firm. After all, time spend driving out to the factories are wasted. I recently had an errand in a business district near a major airport. As I cycled through, I enjoyed picking out the chain of supporting firms (airline, caterer, catering equipment, for one). Neither HAS to be near each other, but if practicality line up with opportunity, why not?