![Sample our Built Environment journals, sign in here to start your access, Latest two full volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5926/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Built-Environment.jpg"})
ABSTRACT
This paper provides an interpretative history of the early genesis of biotechnology in Cambridge and attempts to reconcile how the 1976 adoption of the most restrictive biosafety ordinance in the US created an unexpected business friendly environment that subsequently anchored the industry. The regulation was motivated by community concerns about the environmental effects of recombinant DNA and ignited a lively debate, characterized by an open process with activities to inform and involve citizens in decision-making.
Acknowledgements
Funding for this project was provided by the E.M. Kauffman Foundation. The authors are grateful to Sally Hughes, Martin Kenney, Woody Powell, Eric Von Hippel, Sam Lipson and Charlie Weiner for their insightful comments and suggestions. This paper draws heavily on the MIT Oral History Archives and we appreciate access to these materials. The authors also thank those entrepreneurs and community activists who generously gave of their time for interviews conducted for this research.