Italian Experiences in Coworking Spaces During the Pandemic

The chapter presents and discusses the results of two surveys addressed to coworking spaces managers in Italy, during the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020 and 2021, respectively. The strategies coworking spaces have adopted to cope with the pandemic are described, and the determinants of the coworking resilience level (e.g., size, ownership, sector specialisation, hybridization) are presented. It is explored how the coworking spaces managers have kept the community alive and the perception of the interviewees about the future in the two years. The results of the survey in 2021 show that the average level of profitability and confidence in coworking performance returned to the pre-pandemic level. The pandemic has underlined a potential key role of CSs in enhancing work-life balance and promoting the socio-economic development of peripheral and rural areas. Besides, during the pandemic, Southern Italy has attracted remote workers (e.g., "southworkers”), and promoted the so-called ‘community garrisons', willing to host them and ‘retain' young people. © 2023, The Author(s).

Remote Working and New Working Spaces During the COVID-19 Pandemic—Insights from EU and Abroad

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the rise of remote working worldwide and less central areas have become more and more attractive for these workers. Consequently, remote workers started working from home, in new working spaces, and from everywhere. These changes have affected workers' wellbeing, and cities, peripheral are rural areas. The chapter explores why people decided to keep working remotely even after the pandemic restrictions were cancelled. Furthermore, we give an empirical snapshot of the actual situation of remote workers and how this has and will change geographical patterns. The impact of remote working on wellbeing is described, according to the literature, and some thoughts on how remote working affects the future of coworking spaces and hybrid spaces are presented. © 2023, The Author(s).

I want to break free: the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on work–life balance satisfaction

The revolution in the organization of work, induced by the COVID-19 pandemic, has had, and will have, some long-lasting consequences on how jobs will be performed, affecting adult life well-being. What we know so far about the determinant of satisfaction for work–life balance may not be valid anymore considering this sudden revolution in work organization. This paper presents an empirical analysis based on a cross-sectional survey of 803 workers in October 2020. Results suggest that the profile that benefits the most from the revolution in work organization is represented by a male, married, public sector worker working remotely and not living in the southern part of Italy. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Exploring the "15-Minute City" and near working in Milan using mobile phone data

This paper investigates the changes in neighbourhood attractiveness during the Covid-19 pandemic (2020) compared to the year before in 2019 in the city of Milan. Central neighbourhoods recorded a drop in users from -63% to -47%, while the peripheral areas showed a relatively steady presence during the day. Indeed, remote working and the fear of public transport led to rethinking commuting and re-value working close to home. Semi-peripheral and peripheral neighbourhoods have gained a renewed role in attracting remote workers, and coworking spaces represent a valuable alternative for those willing to improve work-life balance through near working. Within this context, the paper aims to:(i) measure the presence of remote workers at the neighbourhood level;(ii) explore the accessibility to coworking spaces within 15 minutes of walking and cycling distance;(iii) focus on three peripheral neighbourhoods which show the lowest number of city users loss, do not host CSs, and present different levels of essential services and access to subway stations. The three cases are explored to understand whether they are considered feasible locations for hosting a neighbourhood coworking space. The change of the city users' presence in the Milan neighbourhoods in 2019-2020 is analysed using << TIM Big Data - Data Visual Insight >>, which includes the presence and mobility of the TIM mobile network's users.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the future of working spaces

This edited volume presents a compendium of emerging and innovative studies on the proliferation of new working spaces (NeWSps), both formal and informal (such as coworking spaces, maker spaces, fab labs, public libraries, and coffee shops), and their role during and following the COVID-19 pandemic in urban and regional development and planning. This book presents an original, interdisciplinary approach to NeWSps through three features: (i) situating the debate in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has transformed NeWSp business models and the everyday work life of their owners and users;(ii) repositioning and rethinking the debate on NeWSps in the context of socioeconomics and planning and comparing conditions between before and during the COVID-19 pandemic;and (iii) providing new directions for urban and regional development and resilience to the COVID-19 pandemic, considering new ways of working and living. The 17 chapters are co-authored by both leading international scholars who have studied the proliferation of NeWSps in the last decade and young, talented researchers, resulting in a total of 55 co-authors from different disciplines (48 of whom are currently involved in the COST Action CA18214 'The Geography of New Working Spaces and Impact on the Periphery' 2019-2023: www.new-working-spaces.eu). Selected comparative studies among several European countries (Western and Eastern Europe) and from the US and Lebanon are presented. The book contributes to the understanding of multi-disciplinary theoretical and practical implications of NeWSps for our society, economy, and urban/regional planning in conditions following the COVID-19 pandemic. The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license. © 2023 selection and editorial matter, Ilaria Mariotti, Mina Di Marino and Pavel Bednár. All rights reserved.

The rise of coworking spaces in peripheral and rural areas in Italy

Coworking space is predominantly an urban phenomenon. Nevertheless, in the last few years, peripheral and rural areas are becoming attractive for this typology of new working spaces, but the literature on this topic is scant. The current paper aims to fill this gap by reviewing the studies on this issue and discussing the renewed role of coworking spaces in peripheral and rural areas during the Covid-19 pandemic, focusing on Italy. Moreover, a detailed and updated picture of the increasing number of coworking spaces in 2018-2020 in the Italian Inner Areas and rural areas is provided. Finally, some case studies of peripheral and rural coworking spaces are presented, followed by conclusions and further research. © 2021 FrancoAngeli. All rights reserved.

A Research Agenda for the Future of Workplaces

The concluding chapter outlines the main findings of the book concerning the analysis and discussion of new workplaces, specifically, CSs and MSs, in different geographical contexts, by: (i) providing definitions, exploring their typologies, users, and location factors;(ii) investigating the effects on the local context;(iii) exploring urban planning and policies. Several case studies in Europe (Italy, UK, and France) and in the USA have been explored. The results show that the phenomenon is mainly urban, but even suburban and peripheral areas are becoming attractive to new working spaces. Although the book is concerned about the period before the Covid-19 pandemic, this chapter opens the discourse towards the immediate and future effects of the pandemic on the geography of work and new working spaces and suggests new avenues for future research. © 2021, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

The Effects of Covid-19 on Coworking Spaces: Patterns and Future Trends

The Covid-19 pandemic has altered the way of working, the habits and lifestyle of every citizen worldwide. All sectors of the economy had to respect «social distancing» in order to minimise the chances of transmission of the virus, although with different degrees. Specifically, most of the service workers had to move from traditional work in the office to work at home through remote or tele-working, as in the case of the creative and innovative class of workers, to which most coworkers of the coworking spaces belong. Within this framework, the present chapter aims to explore the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on coworking spaces by describing the results of an international survey addressed to coworking managers. Moreover, future trends for the coworking business model and its location dynamics are put forward together with policy implications. © 2021, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.