Visualising the Environmental Effects of Working near Home: Remote Working Hubs and Co-Working Spaces in England and Wales

Background: The pressure on the transport sector to decarbonise intensifies the need to look beyond the usual recommendations (e.g., walking, cycling, technological innovations). Therefore, strategies to avoid or modify commutes to places of work have long been seen as an option to decarbonise. Recognised for achieving an optimal balance between working from home and working in an office, co-working spaces may also minimise the length of commutes and therefore reduce emissions, traffic congestion, road maintenance, stress experienced by drivers, and other negative externalities of traffic. Methods: This study quantifies the above using a digital model of England and Wales. Two distributions of co-working spaces have been compared in this paper (i.e., one co-working space (i) in each Middle-layer Super Output Area or (ii) at the nearest train station). Results: The overall reduction in travel time and distance exceeds 70% if everyone who commutes by car outside their home MSOA drives to a co-working space. Despite a change in the place of work having no impact on the cold start emissions, substantial emission savings can still be achieved. These range from 35.8% to 92.1% depending on the pollutant, scenario, and distribution of co-working spaces.