FROM HYBRID HOUSING TO CYBRID NEIGHBORHOODS: CASE STUDIES OF FIVE DECENTRALIZED TELE-WORKSPACES

摘要

Telecommunication advances are increasing the feasibility of remote work. While home-based work has attracted much media attention, not all workers can transform their homes into effective workplaces. Limits on the numbers of workers who can telework from home focus attention on new forms of collective telework facilities. Such centers located close to employees' residential neighborhoods can reduce automobile dependency and curb urban sprawl. They can also help workers ease the stress of balancing work and family responsibilities and can provide a social context for work, often absent from home-based telework. Early telecenter examples, largely supply driven, met with limited success. Examination of five selected successful U.S. and Canadian case study decentralized workspaces yields suggestions for more promising models of such telecenters. Characterized by flexibility, a heterogeneous occupational mix, accessibility, and small scale, these facilities resemble business incubators. The planning implications and implementation challenges of neighborhood-based telecenters are considered.