Coworking Spaces, Proximity, Innovation and the 4th Space

Coworking spaces – shared work-spaces in which freelancers, entrepreneurs, but also employees ‘work alone together’ – are presented as an example of the blurring of spaces within the knowledge economy. These are spaces in the which key current issues (digitalization, knowledge flows, flexibility and innovation) play out at the micro level. Post-pandemic, coworking spaces are likely to play a greater as remote working remains a permanent feature. But how should we reassess their role in the advent of a ubiquitous digital space, and what might this mean for how the role of proximity itself is (re)conceptualized in relation to innovation?