[DoreenMichele]

It seems very likely that one reason downtowns have so much office space is because it's employment that's inoffensive in terms of city planning and zoning while potentially promising good salaries historically more associated with noisy, polluting industrial spaces.

I remember seeing an article where someone was against zoning that completely eliminated industrial uses in their town or something. She felt that it was possible to allow for clean industry without ruining the environment, but that's harder to regulate. It's easier to say "Nope. No industry. It's dirty and polluting." than to have regulations which allow for industry but require it to meet certain standards of air quality, etc.

She lost. The zoning or regulatory changes she was against went through.

[4death4]

Is there really such a thing as clean industry? Seems like wishful thinking.

[ecshafer]

Machine shops are pretty clean. The noise is kept mostly in the building. They use just electricity for power. There’s no real chemicals in use. Any spot welding or forging can be done with induction forges. Trucks bringing material and shipping out is noise and pollution, but no different than a grocery store.

[Grimblewald]

There is no clean living but a build up of filth is a sign of someone not doing their job properly. The problem isnt clean vs dirty industry, truly it is all dirty, the problem is outsourcing clean up or consequences for a lack of clean up to the public.