vibrant communities, including Madrid, Milan, Ottawa, Seattle and Melbourne.
Yet while cities are crucial crucibles of creativity, innovation, growth and wealth creation, not everyone lives in one. Furthermore, remote working isn’t possible for all – think of the hospitality, service and retail industries. Add in a May 2020 study showing that of the 70% of Americans who were working virtually, only 5% didn’t have a high school degree, then we realise the economic inequalities knitted into who can, and who can’t, work from home. As such, the 15-minute city and the hybrid working models could simply widen existing inequality. Or not: neighbourhoods aren’t limited to cities, and many suburbs and towns have perhaps five of its six key elements. What they don’t have is somewhere to work (unless you count bedrooms or kitchen tables).
doing admin, then the office should adapt to deliver aspects the kitchen table can’t replicate. It needs to provide an environment for collaboration and career growth, for bouncing ideas off one another, getting to know your colleagues and growing your professional network – all activities that are much easier in person. Given that people will have more choice about where they work then offices, and so landlords, will have to work harder to attract and keep tenants. If the office becomes more of a gathering place, then it needs to provide the corresponding amenities. Coworking spaces can provide inspiration here, with their focus on flexible working arrangements, increased amenity spaces and events programmes, and often mixed-use ground floor areas.
One side effect of the pandemic has been city dwellers appreciating their surroundings more; unable to travel further afield, they have been discovering local parks, shops and cafes, and even spoken to their neighbours. What bearing does this have on the future workplace? Step forward the ‘15-minute city’, a concept popularised by Professor Carlos Moreno, in which the city is reimagined as a series of neighbourhoods, each providing six key elements accessible within 15 minutes: working, caring, supplying, learning, enjoying and living. Already embraced by the Parisian mayor, cities around the world are being enticed by this model for resilient,
Above If WFH is about getting your head down, clearing to-do lists and doing admin, then the ofice should adapt to deliver aspects the kitchen table can’t replicate
Above right The 15-minute city could be a catalyst to reinvent the beleaguered high street
As more people than ever are choosing to move further out and accept longer commutes (one figure suggests an extra 30 minutes post-pandemic) we need new ideas. Te work ecosystem could include a halfway house between office and home, ideally a 15-minute walk away. Tis would mean local coworking spaces in every town, where you can work remotely but also mix with other local professionals– a work ‘club’.
Of course, there aren’t necessarily suitable office spaces in every town. Rather than a challenge, this is an opportunity to be creative. It could be a catalyst to reinvent the beleaguered high street: high streets already have the existing infrastructure to serve the community, are typically well located to serve the greatest number of residents and, with a lack of footfall, have an abundance of empty spaces.
Couple this with the emerging ‘sharing economy’, in which younger generations are pushing a prioritisation of health, experience and well-being over assets and ownership, and there are interesting possibilities for workspaces as multifunctional spaces. We are all familiar with the café as informal coworking space, but there’s no reason this model can’t be expanded and evolved. Who wouldn’t want a florist, a yoga studio or a bakery on their office doorstep?
Te benefits of office workers spending more time and money in their local area could trickle down to other sectors. In rethinking the office, there is also the potential to narrow the gap between the haves and the have nots, rejuvenate our high streets and create a better work-life balance.
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