Abstract
We explore how coworking spaces (CWSs) might contribute to place-based policy and regional development, especially in provincial towns/cities and rural/coastal areas. Drawing on interview and focus group data from regional stakeholders in three English local enterprise partnership areas, we examine the extent to which the attributes of CWSs contribute to ‘six capitals’ (physical, intangible, human, social, finance and institutional) widely considered to be the foundations of regional development. Our analysis suggests CWSs should at least be part of place-based policy conversations around placemaking and the revival of places. This conclusion should also resonate in other countries and regional policy circles.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 2399282 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Regional Studies |
| Volume | 59 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 4 Oct 2024 |
| DOIs |
|
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 4 Oct 2024 |
Data Availability Statement
The data for the study are not publicly available, although they are available from the authors upon request.Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the editor and two reviewers for their helpful suggestions in developing this paper. An early version of the paper was presented at the Regional Studies Association Conference in Ljubljana, 15 June 2023, and at a faculty seminar at Bournemouth University Business School, 25 October 2023. We are grateful for the comments and suggestions made by participants at both events. The usual disclaimer applies.Funding
This work was funded by the UKRI Made Smarter Innovation Challenge and the Economic and Social Research Council via InterAct [Grant Reference ES/W007231/1]. We also acknowledge support from Made Smarter Innovation: Centre for People-Led Digitalisation (hosted at the University of Bath, with partners, the University of Nottingham, and Loughborough University), and funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) [Grant Reference EP/V062042/1].
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Economic and Social Research Council | ES/W007231/1 |
| Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council | EP/V062042/1 |
Keywords
- coworking spaces
- place-based policy
- placemaking
- six capitals
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Environmental Science
- General Social Sciences
