City Research Online

Coworking in the city

Merkel, J. (2015). Coworking in the city. Ephemera, 15(2), pp. 121-139.

Abstract

In the aftermath of the financial and economic crisis of 2007 and 2008, a new type of collaboratively oriented workplace has emerged in cities. These coworking spaces and the associated practice of coworking exemplify new ways of organising labour in project-based and largely freelance occupations as found in the cultural and creative industries. But coworking spaces are not just flexible shared office spaces for creative professionals ‘working alone together’ (Spinuzzi, 2012). Coworking promotes a collective, community-based approach to the organisation of cultural and creative work where a particularly important role is accorded to the coworking host, whose activities are described as a curatorial practice aimed at creating a collaborative atmosphere and social relationships. Coworking spaces can therefore be regarded as a new form of urban social infrastructure enabling contacts and collaborations between people, ideas and connecting places.

Publication Type: Article
Publisher Keywords: co-working, community, creative labour, curatorial practice
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor
Departments: School of Communication & Creativity > Media, Culture & Creative Industries > Culture & the Creative Industries
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