What If Everyone Could Walk To Work? - Coworking Spaces as a local hub.

What if everybody could walk to work? For 15 years, I lived in the London Borough of Redbridge. Since I started going to coworking spaces in 2010, I always went into Central London. But I was ALWAYS looking for something nearer to me so I could spend less time travelling and do the school run for #supercoolson. But it seemed 'normal' to be jammed into a central line tube train from Gants Hill to Liverpool Street, so I just did that. For years, the closest coworking spaces to me were @mainyardstudios Studios, Hackney, and then Mile End or Creative Works Space in E17 and, later, Three Sixty Workrooms in Barking. When the pandemic hit, I found it very, very hard to see a "coworkingy" like workspace nearby. When COVID hit, I was a member of Mainyard Studios in Mile End, but I did not want to travel anymore. I found Workhive Studio on Cranbrook Road, Ilford, and loved my time there. It is a very well-designed space with a pro podcast studio. The only reason I left Workhive Studio is that we moved out of the area. As I started spending more time in the London Borough of Redbridge, I transitioned from being a commuter to a local community member after fifteen years. Redbridge is not a cute, hipster place, but people have a strong sense of community. I got to know my local area well. I'd walk through Valentine's Park to work and say hello to the same people who were on their daily walks. I'd go to local independent cafés in Gants Hill and Cranbrook Road, so I kept my money in the local economy. Before I left Ilford in 2022, I never felt more connected to it during my time there. But I've always had to leave Ilford to find somewhere to do my work. I'm in that group who "self-identify" as something like: ✅ Freelancer ✅ Sole trader ✅ Independent economic agent ✅ Remote worker ✅ Start-up founder ✅ Microbusiness This group needs somewhere to work that is not a traditional office lease. No places in Redbridge fit that coworking/start-up workspace/neighbourhood workspace/connection point. We could work in Costa, the library or rent an office above a shop, but this is 2023, not 1998. We want a home, a connection point and a community. But my question "What if everybody could walk to work?" That isn't my question. It's the question of Mandy, Gareth and Mike Corcoran, and they answered it in their 2020 @thetownsq report here https://lnkd.in/d-p6haz5 Since then, local authorities all over London, the UK, and the world have embraced local coworking to build community and the local economic engine. (It is tempting to tag EVERYONE with a local coworking space, but I'd end up tagging around 100+ companies.) The TownSq report was published in 2020, but the blueprint has NEVER been more real, relevant and doable. So my next question is - what are you waiting for? Have a remarkable day. Be careful out there.  It is a jungle. #coworking #communityisthekey #coworkinglondon #bringit #betterthings #ukcoworking #coworkingmindset #15minutecity #coworkingspace  #coworkingcommunitySubscribe to Coworking Community Builder Daily on Soundwise