The future of the corporate office? Emerging trends in the post-Covid city

Abstract

Part of an ongoing longitudinal study, this article provides evidence on the emerging impacts of Covid-19 on the demand for, configuration and role of offices in cities, drawing on primary data from semi-structured interviews with UK-based corporate real estate managers. The research is grounded on a 'theory of change' framework combining real estate, institutional economics and economic geography literature. Our findings confirm an acceleration towards hybrid working patterns. While some changes in the current use of offices may be temporary or more dynamic, other adjustments may be permanent (for example working from home, portfolio rationalisations) and trigger structural changes across cities.