Photo: Felix Gerlach / imagebank.sweden.se

The study of remote work habits and policy is a moving target. The aim of this report is to compare the research results within the Remote work and multilocality post-pandemic project with the latest international research as a way to gain a fuller understanding of the implications of remote work for the Nordic Region as of 2024. Conducted in the spring of 2024, the literature review sought to capture the latest developments as applied to the field of spatial planning and policymaking. In the literature, several key themes emerged as areas in which remote work influences spatial planning. These include:

(1) challenges and opportunities for transportation
(2) urban-rural linkages
(3) digital nomadism, co-working spaces, and third places
(4) attractive and affordable housing fit for work-live arrangements
(5) impacts on urban cores
(6) polycentric cities and the 15-minute city ideal

These areas have emerged from studies based in a wide variety of geographical contexts, but each section includes a cross-analysis of the literature with Nordic-based studies and reports, including those made previously within the Remote work and multi-locality post-pandemic project. In doing so, we show the prevalence or distinctions of these emerging spatial planning themes in the Nordic context to understand the planning implications of remote work practices for Nordic cities and regions.

While remote work is not an altogether new topic, the COVID-19 pandemic has solidified it as a more common and viable option for many in the workforce. Remote working patterns can be explored from various perspectives, ranging from evaluating the changes to the work environment and managerial practices to the design of office space. This report focuses on the spatial dimensions of planning. The term “telecommuting” frames remote work practices according to the change in mobility and, therefore, accessibility. By depending on ICTs to access work-related files and connect with colleagues, Budnitz et al. (2021) emphasise how, when taken as a commuting practice, remote work “blurs the distinction between residential and employment land uses” (Budnitz et al., 2021, 157). In doing so, practicing remote work changes how one accesses various activities that are traditionally fixed by space and time. By dismantling these previously fixed notions, remote work has the potential to greatly influence our living environments.

One caveat when discussing these topics thematically is highlighted by Sepanta and O’Brien (2023), who point to the intra- and interrelationships between housing, offices, transport, and ICT. The researchers claim that these areas cannot be studied separately but must be assessed together. In their study, for example, remote workers’ energy use was said to be impacted by home size, home affordability, neighbourhood accessibility, lifestyles and behaviours, and internet accessibility. Similar intra- and interrelationships are expected among the sections below. Moglia et al. (2022) also identify multiple factors that drive remote work (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, and tasks), spotlighting how the nuances of individual work activities, lifestyles, and perceptions play a major a role in workers’ mobility patterns, housing choices, spending behaviours, and use of the natural and built environment. These factors have varied implications for spatial planning.