Few places in NYC are as underappreciated–or have a more promising future–than the Garment District. Unlike any other neighborhood in the city, the District is both the historic birthplace and the current research and development hub for American fashion. At a time when American manufacturing is once again a growth sector, the Garment District is still home to hundreds of garment manufacturers, employing roughly 7,100 patternmakers, seamstresses, graders and markers, cutters and others who help make NYC a global fashion capital – and contributing $2.1 billion dollars to the city's economy.

Making Midtown, although not the first set of recommendations for the Garment District, is the first comprehensive effort to include all stakeholders in building a shared vision. Every recommendation in our report is achievable through coordinated private and public sector investment over the next 10 years. If our recommendations are implemented, $340 million dollars in unrealized real estate value will be effectively "unlocked" for the neighborhood, along with $8 million dollars in tax revenue for the city.