Co-Working Space Location Selection from A Cost and Service Balance Perspective: A Deterministic Multi-Objective Mathematical Modeling Approach

In this study, the site selection problem for co-working spaces is explicitly examined for the province of Trabzon, and the decision-making process is analyzed using a deterministic multi-objective mathematical model. Within the proposed model, assignment relationships between 203 demand points representing neighborhoods and nine candidate co-working space locations are defined under capacity, coverage, and minimum distance constraints. The objective function is structured to consider total system cost and service distance jointly, and these criteria are normalized and balanced under a single weighted objective. The results obtained from the real-data-based application indicate that, under the established balancing structure, opening co-working spaces in Akçaabat, Beşirli, Arsin, and Pelitli locations is the most suitable option. Furthermore, the conducted sensitivity analysis reveals how the trade-off between cost and service performance evolves under different weighting scenarios. The findings demonstrate that co-working space planning constitutes a multidimensional decision problem, and the study provides a practical decision-support framework for local authorities and investors.