318
R. Bolici et al.
2 Collaborative Economy Platforms. Analysis and Study
of a Growing Phenomenon
The growing increase in collaborative work
1 and the lack of knowledge in planning
and management aspects have stimulated the development of the study entitled “Valorisation of abandoned or underutilized real estate assets. Design for coworking
2 ”
(Bolici et al. 2015). The study, starting from the recognition of a wide and detailed
reading of the national panorama of the sharing economy spaces and in particular of
those for coworking, allowed us to extend and put systematic design and management indications in order to structure a design concept—with a management that is
declinable in relation to the peculiarities of the different contexts (Fig. 1).
Currently in Italy, there is a constant increase in places where it is possible to work
together, collaborating and creating a community that uses the same environment:
these spaces can be identified with those for coworking, talent gardens, and Fab
labs. The term coworking does not only define a physical space but refers to a real
style of work-oriented toward sharing an environment, which, however, leaves users
with the possibility of developing independent activities. In the talent gardens, in
addition to sharing spaces and services, new ideas are formulated for the development
of economic activities capable of evolving into start-ups and projects. Finally, the
philosophy at the heart of Fab labs is the sharing of ideas and the promotion of
sustainable technological development in order to bring innovation and technological
knowledge to the territory in which the laboratory operates.
To present a cross section of the containers for a collaborative economy present
at national level, the study involved a desk analysis of the dedicated platforms and
of the sector literature and of questionnaires given to the space managers; the survey
embraced 422 case studies, collected in a database.
84% of the spaces analyzed were coworking, demonstrating that within the
national territory, this platform is the one that best responds to market demands,
anticipating lower start-up costs compared to the infrastructure of spaces that must
support a Fab lab and not requesting specific managerial skills, which typical of a
talent garden. The geographical distribution has shown that 65% of the collaborative
economy has developed in the northern part of the national territory; specifically for
coworking spaces, a high concentration was recorded in the Lombardy region (over
30% of the total), particularly in the Milan area and in its hinterland.
Given the importance in quantitative terms of coworking spaces, the research has
looked closer into this new working reality from the point of view of inclusion in
the local settlement system, of the location within a given architectural typology, of
the type of building intervention, of the surface, of user capacity, of the functions
present within the containers, and of the management models. The analysis showed
that the placement of the spaces in relation to the context sees a greater presence in
1 As noted by the “1st Annual Global Coworking Survey” conducted by Deskmag.
2 The research project was commissioned to the UdR TEMA of the Mantua Research Laboratory of
the Politecnico di Milano—Mantova Campus by PromoImpresa Borsa-Merci—Mantova Chamber
of Commerce.
R. Bolici et al.
2 Collaborative Economy Platforms. Analysis and Study
of a Growing Phenomenon
The growing increase in collaborative work
1 and the lack of knowledge in planning
and management aspects have stimulated the development of the study entitled “Valorisation of abandoned or underutilized real estate assets. Design for coworking
2 ”
(Bolici et al. 2015). The study, starting from the recognition of a wide and detailed
reading of the national panorama of the sharing economy spaces and in particular of
those for coworking, allowed us to extend and put systematic design and management indications in order to structure a design concept—with a management that is
declinable in relation to the peculiarities of the different contexts (Fig. 1).
Currently in Italy, there is a constant increase in places where it is possible to work
together, collaborating and creating a community that uses the same environment:
these spaces can be identified with those for coworking, talent gardens, and Fab
labs. The term coworking does not only define a physical space but refers to a real
style of work-oriented toward sharing an environment, which, however, leaves users
with the possibility of developing independent activities. In the talent gardens, in
addition to sharing spaces and services, new ideas are formulated for the development
of economic activities capable of evolving into start-ups and projects. Finally, the
philosophy at the heart of Fab labs is the sharing of ideas and the promotion of
sustainable technological development in order to bring innovation and technological
knowledge to the territory in which the laboratory operates.
To present a cross section of the containers for a collaborative economy present
at national level, the study involved a desk analysis of the dedicated platforms and
of the sector literature and of questionnaires given to the space managers; the survey
embraced 422 case studies, collected in a database.
84% of the spaces analyzed were coworking, demonstrating that within the
national territory, this platform is the one that best responds to market demands,
anticipating lower start-up costs compared to the infrastructure of spaces that must
support a Fab lab and not requesting specific managerial skills, which typical of a
talent garden. The geographical distribution has shown that 65% of the collaborative
economy has developed in the northern part of the national territory; specifically for
coworking spaces, a high concentration was recorded in the Lombardy region (over
30% of the total), particularly in the Milan area and in its hinterland.
Given the importance in quantitative terms of coworking spaces, the research has
looked closer into this new working reality from the point of view of inclusion in
the local settlement system, of the location within a given architectural typology, of
the type of building intervention, of the surface, of user capacity, of the functions
present within the containers, and of the management models. The analysis showed
that the placement of the spaces in relation to the context sees a greater presence in
1 As noted by the “1st Annual Global Coworking Survey” conducted by Deskmag.
2 The research project was commissioned to the UdR TEMA of the Mantua Research Laboratory of
the Politecnico di Milano—Mantova Campus by PromoImpresa Borsa-Merci—Mantova Chamber
of Commerce.