Complications to the “Third Space.”
Introduction
Just a few decades ago, working from home was a dream out of reach many, or a benefit for the few. One had to be a proprietor of his/her own home-based business, or a member of a large organization with immense resources for a remote chance of working from home. Since the 1960’s the federal government has enacted several policies to make telework available for many. “Mr. Jack Nilles, commonly referred to as the father of telework, began the first documented telework program in the federal government in the 1960s when he commuted from Los Angeles, CA to Washington, DC” (Joice, 2000 and Lopez, 2020).
During the energy crisis in 1979, to save on energy costs the federal government instituted satellite work center. Frank Schiff coined the term “flexiplace [,]…working from home but also includes working from other flexible locations such as satellite work centers” (Joice, 2000 and Lopez, 2020). Many factors such as management values, technology limitations, and infrastructure within the home delayed full implementation. However, today’s technology has flattened the curve. We can now communicate securely anytime and quickly from anywhere. We are no longer tethered to a power plug or a hardwire connection. Our production is round the clock.
The Negative Effects of Telework on Sprawl
Urban planners must balance this productive freedom to ensure maximization of urban settings. “The direct effects of telework are to lower traffic congestion, energy consumption, and greenhouse emissions” (Zhao, 2016). However, Zhao added that “the fall in transportation costs can reduce workers incentives to live near the CBD and therefore cause urban sprawl [,]… lower structure density, increase the length of commuting, and increase housing consumption as well” (Zhao, 2016).“The freedom gained through information technology will allow workers to move further and further away from city centers” (Senbel, 1995).
This pitfall makes it important for governments, corporations, and planners to re-concentrate its workforce towards the urban core, to slow suburban sprawl and to return to the pre-WWII work-live concepts of community vitality.
Telework Blurs Governmental and Personal Boundaries
A. Governmental Responsibilities.
“The nature of distance is transforming so that the operational boundaries of a place (city, region or even state) are extended in an intangible way; they are no longer defined strictly by geography or law, but also by the reach of telephone lines and computer networks (Cole, 1997 and Fourkas, 2001). Technology can reach out and touch us. We are, either by choice, or through work arrangements, blurring the limits of where work ends and personal time begins.
B. Virtual Distancing.
“The ‘City of Bits’ [,] … real estate in cyberspace, the wild west become the electronic frontier, face-to-face becomes the interface, street networks become the Web” (Fourkas, 2001). In the past, interaction was conducted on sidewalks and public spaces. Today from the home, we attend virtual meetings, play internet games across continents, and consult with physicians without leaving the front door.
C. Work-Rest Cycle.
Due to the lack of distinct boundaries, one can easily overwork. “The electronic sweatshop [,]…potential for worker exploitation [,]…feelings of claustrophobia and entrapment” (Senbel, 1995). By working at home, we have blurred the physical boundaries of the workspace, the distinct chronology of work schedules, and the sanctity of our personal lives. Without definitive junctures, we risk harming the psychological health of employees and families, the profitability of organizations, and the vital interconnectedness of the community.
The Evolution.
Work-Live
According to Daniel Pink, “for a long time, we worked where we lived [,]…people who lived above the shop [,] … after WWIII, he said work and family became distinctly different domains” (O’Shea-Evans, 2020). Because we boxed ourselves into separable and distinct environments, we began searching for spaces that bridged the isolation that comes with independence.
Third Place
When the coffee industry was reshaped by Starbucks’ entry into the market, its cafes were touted as the “third place.” The cafes became a cozy place between the home and the office, a hangout between the dorm room and the library, and also became a place from which to telework or to conduct online business. According to Ray Olderburg who coined the term, the “third place is where we exchange ideas, have a good time, and build relationships” (Butler, S., Diaz, S., 2016). The value of the human interaction cannot be emulated by virtual meetings or telephone conversations. It’s just not the same.
Covid-19 Lockdown.
With the Covid-19 pandemic, the global telework force became even more isolated. Pre-CV19, one could do business at home, transfer to the café, and stop by the library or bookstore before heading home. With the lockdown, the option to visit the “third place” was no longer available. All work occurred within the home or in the backyard. In a flash, the transition points to gradually ease body and mind before arriving home went up in puff of smoke.
Where is the “Third Place” during a Lockdown?
As the result of government-imposed limitations, some have found creative ways to create transition points within the home. Some are repurposing barns, garden sheds, and prefab outbuildings to create gardens or green sanctuaries.
For a ready-made solution, “starting at $500 a month, you can lease a glass-walled 8-feet-by-10-feet pod from ootBox” (O’Shea-Evans, 2020). The garden has become “the reintroduction of a (beautifully brief) commute. Even a quick stroll through dewy grass offers an energy reset” (O’Shea-Evans, 2020). For a more cost-conscious option, transitions within the home can be accomplished with rugs, painting, essential oils, and fresh bouquets of flowers. When staying home is the only option, we must protect the sanctity of the living space from the chaotic energy of the workspace.
The Structure Within the Home.
Separation in terms of both physical and mental terms.
According to Pink, “human beings need transitions [,]…human attention is precious, and it’s not infinite. It needs punctuation marks [,]…without them ‘our attention becomes incoherent run-on sentence’” (O’Shea-Evans, 2020). “Regardless of the reason for separation [,] …a separate room is the most psychologically tolerable arrangement” (Senbel, 1995). A change of location or place, even for mere seconds, is liberation that if labeled would lose its meanning.
Optimal dimensions of the home office
“The optimum size of a home office was found to be 25 square meters by Ahrentzen and 20 square meters by Gurstein” (Senbel, 1995). On the average, this would be a standard sized room of 12 feet by 20 feet. However, Senbel found that telecommuters that did not have to meet with clients in the home office only needed a 5.5 square meter space, or the equivalent of a 6 foot by 10-foot space. Seeing clients at home doubles the space requirement for a home office.
My experience
A home that was previously owned by this author in North Carolina had a home office built to accommodate the visiting clients of the previous homeowner who was a CPA. One side of the two-car garage was walled off and converted into a sizable home office with the appropriate electrical wiring and cabling for a home office. The physical separation set the tone for a professional setting.
From the main house, the commute consisted of a short walk through the garage to get to the home office. Clients could park in the driveway, follow a short concrete path around the garage, and enter the office without going through the main house. A backdoor that led to the backyard allowed one to enjoy the view without having to leave the home office.
It takes personal discipline to work at home. The resident or homeowner must take steps to differentiate areas and spaces, even if only a few square feet. At the same time, homeowners can add to the attractiveness of each space by mimicking nature’s sights, smells, and sounds with artwork, essential oils (for aroma), and lighting combinations to sustain a restful living space.
Conclusion.
Working from home is both a blessing where time can be saved, and a curse where time can be wasted. Urban planners have already clarified the optimal external structural solutions that involve the spacing of nodes, widths of streets, and sidewalk fixtures to ensure walkability and safety for residents, employees, and business owners. However, the telework model would also benefit from the careful internal design of the home.
The home-based business and the telework employee will spend a majority of their productive and restful hours in their closed space. Incongruent design inside the home will affect productivity and restfulness. By enhancing the functionality, ambiance, and utility of the urban core home/telework space, we ensure social, cultural, and economic continuity. Applying the concepts of the Strategic Triangle into urban planning in a mostly-Telework environment, we may be able modify the elements of Legitimacy and Support, Public Value, and Operational Capacity.
The Legitimacy of urban planning is generated by the political environment (policies, laws, and permits). Public Value is the positive social and economic outcomes of the multi-use urban node. Operational Capacity is the ability and willingness of the resident to contribute his/her talents in ways that enhance the functions of the community.
From another view, we could apply the Mind, Body, and Soul concept to harmonize the shift to a multi-use urban model. The Mind is the collective’s intangible consciousness labeled as hope, fears, and conscience that is reflected as policy, rules, regulations in the general plan. The Body is made up of the physical layout, structures, designs of streets and sidewalks, and beauty of buildings that facilitate social interactions and ensure economic momentum. The Soul subsists inside the urban core home, replenishes the energy of the people who live and work in the home, and is sustained by the utility and layout of the workspace, the living space, and the in-home transition space. As in life, the Soul is the foundational element that energizes the Body and the Mind.
Urban Planning for a telework model can truncate the transition of Transect elements to occur within meters, not miles. The shift will facilitate community connectedness to pre-WWII mixed-use living. In doing so, we can protect open spaces for today’s relaxation and tomorrow’s preservation.
Copyright Leonard Casiple 2023. All rights reserved.
About the author: Leo Casiple is a first-generation American who grew up in Southern Philippines under martial law. He spent much of his 21-year career in the US Army as a Green Beret.
Leo is currently a doctoral student at Northeastern University’s Doctor of Law and Policy program (2022–2025 Cohort). He earned his education from California Lutheran University (MPPA), ASU Thunderbird School of Global Management (MBA in Global Management), Excelsior University (BS in Liberal Arts, Ethnic and Area Studies), Academy of Competitive Intelligence (Master of Competitive Intelligence™), Defense Language Institute and Foreign Language Center (18-month Arabic Language Course), and the US Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (Special Forces Qualification Course and Psychological Operations Specialist Course).
For more information about the author, click here: Leo’s LinkedIn Profile
References
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ScienceDirect.com | Science, health and medical journals, full text articles and books. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214629618310314
Fourkas, V. (2001). The city in cyberspace: Europe and Manchester, 1989–2000 (Order No. 10756852). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1989043922). https://ezproxy.callutheran.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.callutheran.edu/docview/1989043922?accountid=9839
Joice, W. (2000). THE EVOLUTION OF TELEWORK IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT [Doctoral dissertation]. https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/14140
Lopez, M. R. (2020). Telework Decision Strategy: A Systematic Review (Order №28002665). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (2427335886). https://ezproxy.callutheran.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.callutheran.edu/docview/2427335886?accountid=9839
O’Shea-Evans, K. (2020, October 16). The garden is the new Home Office, thanks to the sanity shed. WSJ. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-garden-is-the-new-home-office-thanks-to-the-sanity-shed-11602876181
Senbel, M. (1995). Working at home and sustainable living: Architecture and planning implications (Order No. MM07914). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (89139467). https://ezproxy.callutheran.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.callutheran.edu/docview/89139467?accountid=9839
Stuart M Butler and Carmen Diaz. (2017, August 22). “Third places” as community builders.
Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2016/09/14/third-places-as-community-builders/
Zhao, W. (2016). Three Essays In and Tests of Theoretical Urban Economics (Order No. 10140935). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1823568883). https://ezproxy.callutheran.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.callutheran.edu/docview/1823568883?accountid=9839