Julian Waters-Lynch
Book chapter · Published

Collaborative Work Spaces

Diversity and Regional Entrepreneurship Growth

Julian Waters-Lynch and Sam Tavassoli

Collaborative work spaces are not only places where entrepreneurs rent desks. They can also act as local microclusters that shape who meets whom, what knowledge circulates, and how regional entrepreneurship develops.

What the paper argues

The chapter conceptualises collaborative work spaces as entrepreneurial microclusters. It translates qualitative insights from the coworking research programme into propositions about density, social interaction, related diversity, neighbourhood amenities, and entrepreneurship outcomes.

Its central move is to connect the lived social dynamics of coworking to regional economic questions: how place-based diversity and interaction can support entrepreneurial learning and opportunity formation.

Core contribution: Collaborative work spaces as microclusters linking spatial diversity to entrepreneurship growth

Why it matters

The chapter matters because entrepreneurship is often treated as either an individual trait or a regional statistic. Collaborative work spaces show the middle layer: designed places where interaction, diversity, and knowledge spillovers can be organised.

Related stream

Coworking as regional infrastructure

This chapter extends the coworking programme from workplace/community theory into regional entrepreneurship and spatial diversity.

Read Coworking Overview