This policy brief is the result of collaborative work carried out throughout the duration of the CORAL project. The recommendations were formulated during the MSCA CORAL-ITN Final conference, held on 11–13 November 2024 in Athens. A dedicated policy co-creation and training session facilitated knowledge sharing among participants and translated collective insights into actionable recommendations.
While the primary target audience of this brief is policymakers, it also seeks to stimulate a broader dialogue by bringing CWS practitioners and researchers to a shared table. Throughout the lifetime of the project, we have sought to capture, interpret, and develop new theoretical and analytical tools to address a phenomenon that is fluid and volatile, yet at the same time dynamic and full of potential. However, assessing and addressing the needs of CWS in rural and peripheral areas has proven particularly challenging, as these locations are often neglected, perceived as “left-behind,” and pushed to the margins of policy agendas.
CWS initially emerged in large metropolitan areas. Their bottom-up ethos was soon appropriated and commercialized by major real estate actors. Over time, CWS in big cities became increasingly integrated into the hospitality and tourism economy. This repositioning generated negative externalities, particularly for users and surrounding communities. Professionals and creatives were pushed to the urban periphery, facing a long-standing paradox: being both pioneers and victims of gentrification simultaneously. Peripheral cities and rural areas have emerged as the next frontier: can these regions provide alternative spaces for creative experimentation, rural revitalization, and business development?
The growing interest in the peripheries signals a gradual shift in how we conceive organizational structures, profit-making, service provision, place, and, importantly, labor. With this brief, we aspire to spark interest and initiate an open consultation on the status and development of CWS in peripheral areas, as well as on the ways these structures can be effectively supported.
