The preferred location of coworking spaces in Italy: an empirical investigation in urban and peripheral areas

With the rising globalization of the economy and society, the digital transformation, and the economic downturn that started in 2008, working is becoming less dependent on distance, location, and time. These are some of the reasons that have fostered the development and diffusion of new working spaces like coworking spaces. The paper explores the location determinants of coworking spaces, an issue that has been less developed by the literature. By focusing on the 549 coworking spaces located in Italy in the year 2018, the paper investigates the location factors of such workplaces and the attractiveness of large cities and peripheral areas. The results of the descriptive statistics and the econometric analysis (a Zero-Inflated Negative Binomial model is applied) confirm that coworking is mainly an urban phenomenon since coworking spaces tend to be knowledge-intensive places for creative people. Specifically, the municipalities showing higher innovation and entrepreneurial environment (i.e., major cities) are preferred locations. Besides, it is discussed whether coworking spaces may foster the development of peripheral and inner areas in Italy, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic where the share of teleworkers outside metropolitan areas has massively increased.