The concluding chapter outlines the main findings of the book concerning the analysis and discussion of new workplaces, specifically, CSs and MSs, in different geographical contexts, by: (i) providing definitions, exploring their typologies, users, and location factors; (ii) investigating the effects on the local context; (iii) exploring urban planning and policies. Several case studies in Europe (Italy, UK, and France) and in the USA have been explored. The results show that the phenomenon is mainly urban, but even suburban and peripheral areas are becoming attractive to new working spaces. Although the book is concerned about the period before the Covid-19 pandemic, this chapter opens the discourse towards the immediate and future effects of the pandemic on the geography of work and new working spaces and suggests new avenues for future research.

This introduction chapter briefly discusses the main focus of the book on the phenomenon of new workplaces (also known as “third places,” “flexible spaces,” and “collaborative spaces”), with a focus on coworking spaces and maker spaces, which is defined as permanent or temporary spaces for working. At the same time, they enable collaboration, mutual learning, knowledge sharing, as well as social and spatial relationships among users. It then highlights the importance of the book in sharing the findings of several international and multidisciplinary research projects concerning coworking spaces and maker spaces as paradigmatic of a shift in the new geography of working and making. Furthermore, this chapter outlines the structure of this edited book in four main parts: (i) Phenomena; (ii) Actors; (iii) Places; and (iv) Agenda. It then underlines that this book is designed for an international audience; it is useful not only for the academic world (in Urban Planning, Urban and Regional Economics, Geography, Sociology, Anthropology, Architectural and Urban Design) but also for policymakers, civil and entrepreneurial associations, and business operators.