Acknowledge that technology has changed manufacturing. Developers should be thinking about ways to bring innovative new industries, such as data centers, biotech hubs and clean-energy plants, into existing manufacturing zones to create jobs and generate tax ratables. A prime example is Seattle-based Sabey Data Center’s acquisition of the former Verizon tower at 375 Pearl St. in Lower Manhattan. The REIT plans to use the existing cable and power supply to create a new commercial data center. The Bloomberg administration is also pushing to bring a state-of-the-art applied science campus to Roosevelt Island, the Brooklyn Navy Yard or Governors Island, which is certainly a step in the right direction as well.

Watch out for new legislation. There have been several bills passed in New York and New Jersey that incentivize development and encourage industrial activity. In Albany, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the “Power NY Act of 2011” that expands development opportunities for electric-generating power plants across the state. Crossing the river to New Jersey, manufacturers like Wakefern and Manischewitz Co. have benefited from the state’s Urban Transit Hub Tax Credit program. Both models should be adopted nationwide.

Think outside the (big) box. Alternative industries like urban farming could occur on space where brownfields could be remediated. This can create jobs for semi-skilled or unskilled workers that involve a living wage and opportunity to grow. A good example is Alexandria Life Science Corp’s decision to convert a stalled construction site in the Kips Bay section of Manhattan into a 15,000-square-foot farm.

And don’t forget about EB-5. These transactions allow foreign investors to secure a preferred visa category status by providing funding to a business that benefits the US economy or saves at least 10 full-time jobs for American workers. It worked in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which has 275 tenants across 4.5 million square feet of urban waterfront.

While mixed-use is a terrific redevelopment solution in suburban towns and other dense neighborhoods, let’s not throw in the towel on our vanishing urban industrial spaces just yet.