As owners of the port area, the Municipality of Rotterdam and the Port Authority jointly face the task of making the city port future-proof. An increasing number of cities are focusing once more on the manufacturing economy, stimulated by developments such as 'reshoring', the emergence of new smart technologies, the ambition to create a circular and social economy and by the growing social interest in local craftsmanship. With the launch of Rotterdam Makers District in 2018, the Municipality and the Port of Rotterdam are committed to giving this innovative manufacturing economy a place in the port area. The Makers District brings together large-scale industry, small-scale manufacturing initiatives and educational institutions in the same ecosystem, where innovations for the port and the city are developed in relation to food and water management, the energy transition and the circular economy. In addition, the Municipality and the Port Authority are developing the Makers District into an urban area with housing, urban programmes and facilities. The Makers District will grow to be a mixed area where functions are spatially interwoven. This offers opportunities for the development of new living-working typologies, innovative maker spaces and experiments for new community facilities and knowledge-sharing platforms. Moreover, by connecting with the surrounding neighbourhoods, there is an opportunity to create new employment opportunities in the wider vicinity of the port and to train Rotterdam residents for the jobs of the future. This enables the development of the Makers District to contribute to an economy that adds local value for the city and its inhabitants.

The Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij (Rotterdam Dry Docks) was transformed into a Research, Design & Manufacturing facility that is a collaboration between two schools and the Port Authority. The RDM campus houses educational and research institutions and their partners from the business community and the government. The Merwe-Vierhavens area was once home to one of the largest fruit ports in the world, but it is now gradually being transformed into a new residential and work area. M4H is strategically located, next to a number of vulnerable residential areas such as Delfshaven and Bospolder-Tussendijken, yet in the middle of an economically active port area and also close to the city centre.