Digitization as a Driver for Rural Development

An Indicative Description of German Coworking Space Users

Publication by Marco HΓΆlzel & Walter Timo de Vries in Basel, Switzerland.
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Abstract in English:

Background: The urban-rural land divide is visible through where people choose to work. This article aims to detect how, where and why people use rural coworking spaces instead of or in addition to working in urban areas. Methods: The research relied on both documented evidence and a structured survey among users of coworking spaces. Results: We found that the choice of working in rural coworking spaces draws on certain benefits and opportunities for its users, such as avoiding social isolation, separating private and professional life, reducing the commuting. An additional benefit for rural towns and villages is that the presence of a coworking space can make the location more vital, lively and attractive. Conclusions (and recommendations): Coworking space could partially bridge the urban-rural land divide. However, understanding this requires more in-sights in the behavior of rural coworking space users. Further research could look into modelling cause-effect relations and predicting coworking user behavior and the effect on their environment.

Editor(s) Full Names Uchendu Eugene Chigbu, Ruishan Chen, Chao Ye

Open Access? Yes

Journal Land
Publication Year 2021
Volume 10(3)
Publisher MDPI
ISSN/ISBN 2073-445X
DOI https://doi.org/10.3390/land10030326

English | Discipline Rural Development