The Co-Workplace

Thanks to telecommunications breakthroughs, almost half of all jobsin North America and Europe could today be performed away from atraditional office. Millions of office workers are already working fromhome, and while some appreciate the flexibility of home-based telework,others find that they are bound to their employers by an"electronic leash." This book explores the"co-workplace" - a new type of neighbourhood-based facilityoffering the benefits of remote work while maintaining boundariesbetween workplace and home.

Borrowing from the experience of cooperative artists' studios,business incubators, and the corner copy shop, the new co-workplacewould be planned by the people who would really use it. It would beclose to home with access to such amenities as meeting rooms,childcare, food services, and recreation facilities. It would combinethe infrastructure of a good corporate office with the healthyconvenience of walking to work. In The Co-workplace, Johnsondraws lessons from spaces used collaboratively by software developers,artists, lawyers, and other professionals.

This book explains why office infrastructure can be important forproductivity as well as the quality of work life. While the workprocess benefits from peace, quiet, and protection from interruption,creativity and innovation thrive amid opportunities for socialinteraction and synergy. The Co-workplace tackles one of thecentral policy and planning issues of our time and, as such, will bevital reading for those in urban planning, communications, work &leisure studies, and women's studies.