The anywhere working city

Co-authored by Linda Chandler, Enterprise Architect at Microsoft UK and Phillip Ross, CEO of UnWork.com Contents Executive summary

2| The time has come for technology to make its mark on the evolution of our cities. Exec Summary Historically we have seen geography, politics, transport, architecture and economics playing their part in the moulding of the cityscape but in the 21st Century it is the turn of technology to positively influence the design and planning of our great cities. 2| Introduction The concept of the Anywhere Working City is a highly livable, polycentric megapolis driven by societal expectation of a different way of working, shopping and living, and 3| enabled by new architectures of building, technology and transport. Nomadic workers Beyond the smart city: looking for workspace between head office and home will use innovative third space hubs architecture of a modern city at networked foci around the city and beyond. Pioneering developments in historic cities utopia such as London and Manchester are learning from the boom in emerging cities like Qatar and Shenzhen; that technology, power and transport must be at the foundation of the planning and development process. 5| Third Space The evolution to an Anywhere Working City is driven by over-crowding, environmental concerns, economic factors and society’s desire to work and live in a more balanced way. 7| It’s motivated by the need to save money, comply with stricter environmental legislation 100 mile city and compete for the next generation of employees with demands of a better way of working. But it is technology that underpins all of these factors. Although technology is the biggest achievement of our generation, it is the expectation of the next generation. 8| Technology is the facilitator of the Anywhere Working City. The city will emerge as a City design: evolution vs people-focused metropolis embracing the potential of technology and enhancing the revolution lives of its citizens.

10| About the authors Conclusion Linda Chandler is an Enterprise Architect at Microsoft UK. She is an experienced technology leader with nearly 20 years in the industry, latterly working in public sector with a focus on cities.

Philip Ross is founder and CEO of UnWork.com. He has written a number of books on the future of work including Space to Work and the 21st Century Office as well as leading research including the Anywhere Organisation white paper for Microsoft and VWork for Regus.

Introduction

Technology is often viewed as a short-term solution to business challenges rather than the longer-term driver of societal change that could determine our perceptions of future work. We have been shown a vision of a Smart City with obtrusive technology set in a revolutionary urban utopia, but the concept of the Anywhere Working City is a softer, evolved, more human-focused scenario where the adoption and leverage of technology stimulates a change in societal expectation of the way we work and live.

2 | Beyond the smart city: architecture of a modern city utopia

Architects enjoy debating the definitions Architecture’s role must now be to look and develop strategies rather than of architecture. But from the perspective at the higher benefits of design in a their own ‘ribbon cutting’ projects. of the Anywhere Working City it more holistic way. “Architects must stop is important to make a distinction trying to ‘cut the ribbon’ on projects and Sir Terry suggests that we can learn from between terms that are often used start looking for strategies,” argues the the academic world and the growth of interchangeably in this context but eminent architect and master planner new universities. The Oxbridge model that should be seen as separate, but Sir Terry Farrell. As the Mayor’s design is ‘space positive’; interdisciplinary related, concepts; infrastructure and adviser, he insists we need to look colleges with communal areas creating architecture. Infrastructure refers to more broadly at development and city an atmosphere where people from basic and fundamental systems or planning. Technology will be the key different academic subjects live, work facilities, which in a city context means contributor to how city developments and discuss ideas. The ‘new’ universities building and utility infrastructure, are designed; underpinning, enabling are usually ‘object positive’ with each transport infrastructure and, more latterly, and informing the higher architectural department in its own building, with technology infrastructure. Definitions concepts of how we work. But we must a tendency to become territorial and of architecture refer to a ‘higher’ theme also ensure that technology architects isolated. Richard Watson, writer and of design, with additional concepts of and enterprise architects working at a strategist, also champions the theory integration, holistic use, behaviours, higher level, look at the bigger picture that ideas need space to ‘bump into each emergence and transformation. Self-actualization Tally Hatzakis, Strategy Specialist Morality, creativity, spontaneity, accept- at , suggests ance, experience, purpose, meaning and that another way of differentiating inner potential infrastructure and architecture is to revisit Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, a model Self-esteem developed in the 1950s to understand Confidence, achievement, respect of human motivation, but which has others, the need to be an individual important parallels to our understanding of the development of visions for today’s cities. Through the city lens, this model Loving and belonging would have urban infrastructure at the Friendship, family, intimacy, sense of bottom of the triangle, covering our most connection basic needs, with architecture and the interplay of people, place and technology Safety and security towards the top of the triangle. She Health, employment, property, adds: “City is the context within which family and social stability you develop and satisfy your needs - or it can stop you reaching your full potential. The ability of a city to enable you to Physiological needs grow impacts on the attractiveness of Breathing, food, water, a city as a place to live and work”. shelter, clothing, sleep

Figure 1: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs (Motivation and Personality 19541)

1 A.H. Maslow, A Theory of Human Motivation, Psychological Review 50(4) (1943):370-96 3 | Beyond the smart city: architecture of a modern city utopia

other’, arguing that kitchens and staircases believes we can learn from the mistakes of transport architecture to allow us to are the most important design concepts and successes of these new cities. think more holistically about connecting for creativity and serendipity. The ‘Bump’ people, physically and virtually, across a concept2 has already been discussed at Developments such as the Life Science city region. Transport architecture can take the level of the Anywhere Organisation3, hub at Royal Docks in London and Media into account the bigger themes; flexible with companies enabling their workspace City in Manchester are at the cutting ways of working, new technologies and so that employees can work more edge of technology, as they need to smarter travel and rather than reacting to collaboratively and share ideas organically. attract digital businesses. The parallels unsustainable short-term demands on its between these developments and new capacity, transport will need to broaden its But as a society, both creatively and cities such as Qatar are evident in their gaze in order to fulfil its remit to reduce logistically, we must have both the need to consider technology and transport emissions and to get cities moving again. building and technology architecture infrastructure together. Fiona Fletcher that will allow this to happen on Smith, Executive Director of Development “The existing system cannot cope with a macro-scale within the city. and Environment at the GLA discusses the infinite expansion,” agrees Steven Norris, ’s commitment to ‘barrier- ex-Transport Minister and board member While new developments have technology busting activities’: “New developments at Transport for London. Whilst traditional at the root of their design, a major like the Royal Docks need to fit tech from transport policy stuck to increasing inhibitor of adapting more established the beginning. It will be like Taiwan in capacity and improving services, the cities is having to ‘retrofit’ technology to terms of broadband speed with cabling ever-growing demand is untenable and historic areas. Concentrated work hubs upgrades already in place.” There has transport must now look beyond its like Soho and the West End of London also been a commitment from Crossrail traditional boundaries for an answer. Cities are already suffering power failures and to minimise travel times to Heathrow4, must have a strong, strategic transport are inhibited by this under-capacity of Canary Wharf and central London and a architecture policy but will also have to electrical distribution and the limitations ‘barrier-busting’ cable car project linking be more inventive within their current of existing broadband cabling. New the docks to the Greenwich peninsula. transport framework to encourage a shift cities in China, the Middle East and Asia in attitude and behaviour. These parallels recognise the importance of enabling work In loose terms we talk almost between building architecture, technology through technology and have it as the interchangeably about building or architecture and now transport architecture basis of their infrastructure, determining technology architecture and infrastructure, demonstrate that all city design should the design and architecture of the city. Sir but we tend not talk of ‘transport be looking more strategically about how, Terry is familiar with new developments in architecture’. Smart mobility has come where and why we work and live like we do. Shenzhen having built the tallest Chinese to mean transport plus IT, but perhaps skyscraper by a British architect there and we need to move to the ‘higher’ level

Architecture’s role must now be to look at the higher benefits of design in a more holistic way.

2 Microsoft The Hybrid Organisation in Practice, Making it work: 36-40 May 2011 3 http://www.theanywhereorganisation.com 4 Royal Docks: A vision for the Royal Docks prepared by the Mayor of London and the Mayor of Newham (http://www.lda.gov.uk/Documents/Royal_Docks_Vision_9077.pdf) 4 | Third space

Technology will be a catalyst for the a major part in the provision of workspace. empowering people to choose their place societal change needed to enable the Sir Terry points out that “30% of people in of work and saving companies money9. Anywhere Working City. With ‘the cloud’ St. Pancras station are not there to catch replacing companies own internal IT a train”. Companies such as Regus, who Fiona Fletcher-Smith at the GLA has infrastructure housed in city buildings and provide flexible workspaces, are reacting already given up her desk for 2 days a mobile devices becoming increasingly to the need to work in ad hoc ways and week and is in search of the perfect third sophisticated, we are becoming free to are opening hotel-style offices where space. She imagines a time when you work anywhere and anytime. While the you can rent space for short periods or can “touch in and out of office space polar model of office or home has been use drop in business lounges. In a recent with something equivalent to an Oyster the staple of flexible working so far, there is study, 63.5% of people preferred to have Card”. Who knows, if a growing need for alternative workspace a commute of less than 20 minutes a day champions this model in the same way between these two extremes, where with only 12.3% of people preferring to he did with London’s rentable bikes, we people can work for an hour or so between work form home7. The suburbs, which now could all be spending time in a Boris meetings or just co-locate for interaction empty out during the day, could be given Office or ‘Boffice’ before we know it. and contact. But a third space can offer so a fresh lease of life with people looking for much more than just a place to work ‘on interesting and inspiring places to work, The natural by-product to this concept, the pause’. According to Cornelius Medvei closer to home and in their communities. where employees are empowered to at the law firm Eversheds, “when we create their own working conditions, is decided to change the way we worked we Models for innovative third space include for corporate headquarters to be reduced found that the use of ‘third space’ allowed ‘The Guild’, where people of a similar in size or even to become virtual. Some greater collaboration and thinking space.”5 profession can work side-by-side or ‘The smaller companies are already questioning Clubhouse’, where a mix of professionals the presence of a permanent head office This ‘third’ space concept already exists to of a similar standing can network as and this freeing up of office space in some extent with WiFi availability in cafes, well as work8. As office buildings are expensive city centres not only has the bars and libraries but it is a growing sector. refurbished, space is often reassigned potential to save companies money, with In London, The Institute of Directors and with more collaborative areas and less huge savings on furniture, heating and The British Library have already embraced personal desk space. Workers are asked to lighting, for example, but it will enable this concept, with The British Library give up their desks for a certain number a ‘virtuous circle’ where office blocks are providing free WiFi and power points for of days a week and encouraged to find redesigned to allow mixed functionality laptops in its public spaces6. As Sir Terry alternative workspaces. The idea of a with increased residential use. “We can Farrell points out, “you have as many ‘touch down office’ or even extending learn from places like New York,” says Fiona people in the corridors and staircases as in the popular BYO device concept more Fletcher Smith, “mixed use developments, the Reading Rooms because they can talk broadly to a BYO office, where employees where it’s not just office blocks but there on their phones and interact”. Transport are given a budget to fund their own is residential use as well, means that hubs like stations and airports will also play working space, are ideas that will grow, people can live closer to work, reducing

“30% of people in St. Pancras station are not there to catch a train” Sir Terry Farrell, Architect

5 Speaking at the Worktech Conference, London, Nov 2011 6 Alison Maitland and Peter Thomson, Future Work, 2011 7 Regus VWork: Measuring the benefits of agility at work Mark Dixon and Philip Ross May 2011: 7 8 Philip Ross Unwired Research, Agility @ Work: 7-8 9 Regus VWork: Measuring the benefits of agility at work Mark Dixon and Philip Ross May 2011: 16 5 | THIRD SPACE

People

CHOICE RESIDENTS, COMMUTERS, VISITORS FREEDOM STAKEHOLDERS, PARTNERS

ANYWHERE WORKING CITY Place Technology URBAN (OFFICE) SPACE CONSUMERISATION OF TECHNOLOGY CITY / REGION CLOUD

SMART MOBILITY URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE

the need for transport.” This also ties staff members who like to come into work the consumerisation of technology in with the view of Sir Terry Farrell who for their social life and who make social and BYOD (bring your own device) believes in creating residential properties arrangements that improve team spirit”. extends the ‘place’ where you can work where people want to live rather than to numerous ‘out of office’ settings. in out-of-town developments. He is Ultimately, these different ways of working, planning to create large numbers of the ‘Third Space’, the BYO Office, home However, the perceived ‘Freedom’ that homes in Old Oak Common10, a neglected and traditional or alternative office settings, this allows is only part of the equation. area of London near Paddington. represent an individual’s emerging ability Underlying all of these concepts is the to choose how, where and when they need for competent technology that However we must remember not to try work. At the Anywhere Organisation will enable ‘Anywhere Working’ and the and force everyone into the same model. level, the overlap between people, place empowerment of the worker. The urban The concept of home-working can be and technology roughly equates to infrastructure (broadband, 4G, WiFi) plus horrifying for some and Richard Watson employees and their choice of office or touch down space and Smarter Travel must warns us that future working could home and the systems and devices that be in order so that we can truly decide, in be isolating11. Iain Macbeth, Business enable this. At the Anywhere Working the broadest sense, what the ‘Place’ will Engagement Programme Manager at TfL, City level this view broadens out to define be. Until those choices are available we are where there are 1.7 people to a desk, says people’s choices more holistically across failing to exploit the freedom that we have. that there still needs to be more research their work and non-work boundaries. The Anywhere Working City can only come into the impact of hot-desking on team The enabling technologies, such as the to being with an optimum combination dynamics. He says, “it’s often the younger growth of the ‘cloud’, ubiquitous wireless, of people, place and technology.

10 Sir Terry Farrell’s HS2 Old Oak Common plans revealed, Greg Burns, Fulham & Hammersmith Chronicle, Aug 12 2011 11 Speaking at the Worktech Conference, London, Nov 2011 6 | 100 Mile City

The original concept of the 100 mile city, stretch the ability of an individual to work truly capable 100 mile Anywhere Working first put forward by Deyan Sudjic in 199312, within a cityspace by a huge distance. City, transport policy must also be a priority looks at the influence of the city over a and will certainly still be an issue for some Steven Norris argues that the development much wider geographical area. Sudjic time to come. Sir Terry Farrell refers to the of high speed rail links should be coupled looked at the attitudes of major players ‘spine of the UK’ with a transport system with high speed connectivity. Plans towards a number of large cities around enabling people from the east and west of for the HS2 rail link between London the world, including New York, Tokyo, Paris the country to access the central cities. The and Birmingham could incorporate and London. Moving this concept forward, second stage of the HS2 link to Manchester the necessary cabling, allowing faster the 100 mile Anywhere Working City is a and Leeds could be vital for this vision. travel between the cities but also faster large, livable, polycentric metropolis that broadband. In its Autumn 2011 statement, draws in a flexible workforce from the At the moment, transport growth within the Government released plans for an large towns and suburbs that surround megacities such as London is unsustainable investment of £100m in broadband and are connected to it. This workforce is both environmentally and logistically with networks in 10 major cities including enabled by innovative technology, high overcrowding and high carbon emissions Edinburgh, Belfast and Cardiff. This follows speed broadband and, when necessary, an forcing government to increase the pace on from an agreed £530m in broadband intelligent travel system. For somewhere of change. “People rush lemming-like to for rural areas outlined in the 2012 budget, like London that already has the seeds of a the centre of the city and for all sorts of which not only enables each of those polycentric city, investment in technology reasons neither transport nor business cities to work more effectively and to infrastructure would enable the multitude appreciate the potential of smarter travel,” expand their functioning working area of ‘centres’, which are often semi-deserted says Steven Norris, “smarter travel is vital well into the countryside, but also helps during the day, to be workspaces or if economic growth is to be uncoupled to create a connected country, so not workclusters in their own right, linked from transport growth.” Iain Macbeth at just the 100-mile city but …a UK plc. by networks or corridors of connectivity. TfL, confirms the obvious; that transport Fiona Fletcher Smith at the GLA believes In addition to the £530m Government has in London is groaning at the seams, that broadband is so important that invested in rural programmes to stimulate “London’s transport is at capacity, only even in a stretched economy, ‘public private investment, Government is also Thameslink and Crossrail can provide some sector money should be made available providing £150m to improve capacity additional capacity and this will also extend for this’. Spreading the extended city and performance of urban broadband, the city.” Smarter Travel combined with concept further into the economic region and £150m to improve mobile coverage alternative working practices could make of the ‘Greater South East’ with towns across the UK. All of this goes some way to a huge difference to overcrowding, but like Guildford, Tunbridge Wells and supporting the ‘Anywhere Working’ ideal transport policy must engage with business Brighton, high speed broadband could and boosting the economy. However, for a to encourage new ways of working.

The development of high speed rail links should be coupled with high speed connectivity.

12 The 100 Mile City, Deyan Sudjic, Harcourt Publishers Ltd 1993 7 | 100 Mile City

Third spaces around railway stations travel, or to travel off peak, will become 27%, and Eversheds, who adopted new could be used to stagger commuting part of a new approach to smart travel. working practices, which allowed them times, which could help companies who to hugely reduce their business travel encourage the ’14 hour day’ model, where A change in societal psychology around and saved a seven figure sum annually. employees come into the office for a set work is seen as one of the biggest period anytime within the extended time challenges for the Anywhere Working However it could still transpire that window. Travel providers would then City. Iain Macbeth is trying to encourage economic and environmental factors are respond with Smarter Ticketing. Norman attitudinal change at business level, the biggest enablers of the move to an Baker 13, Parliamentary Under-Secretary specifically dealing with the travel demand extended city model, whilst pressure on of State for Transport, highlights the train around the Olympics. “Smarter working, companies to reduce the estimated 70% company Southern, who are currently even one day a week, is a 20% reduction in of emissions from business travel will piloting point-to-point season tickets travel,” he explains. This need for a change soon push companies to reevaluate their on their Brighton to Seaford route. in thinking is echoed by many, including travel and working policies. Ultimately Norman Baker MP who believes that the the successful realisation of the 100 mile Innovative travel pricing could become one economic situation will force change, with Anywhere Working City will be down to the of the catalysts for the Anywhere Working companies adopting flexible working in people that have to live and work in it. If City. Using Oyster or other ‘touch and pay’ order to save money. As a supporter of technology and transport make it possible technologies, commuters can be provided the ‘Anywhere Working Consortium’ he i.e. easy, cheap, practicable and more time with flexible pricing and season tickets discusses the need for hard evidence to efficient, people will ultimately engage that do not follow the five day working persuade business. He uses the example with it; ‘if you build it, they will come’. week. Providing greater incentives not to of Microsoft, who reduced their travel by

City design: evolution vs revolution

There is currently an interesting inverse growing exponentially with technology looking to learn from our experiences as relationship between established cities like at the core of their planning. Shenzhen’s well as trying new things and making their London, New York and Sydney and new population has exploded from 350,000 own mistakes”. He explains that London cities like Qatar, Shenzhen and Shanghai. in 1982 to 10 million in 2010. “They are was not made on any grand plan and that Whilst the ‘old school’ cities, which have building infrastructure in a revolutionary we “need to look at where we’ve been to spent hundreds of years evolving into way. It’s an experiment in socialism and see where to go.” He believes in evolution the metropolises they are today, are capitalism,” explains Sir Terry Farrell. He rather than revolution; “making what we struggling to retro-fit new technology makes the comparison between new and have work with small incremental changes.” into historic, overcrowded and often old cities, “new cities will evolve into cities unappreciative areas, the new cities are like London but at the moment they are

City populations: past, present and future

London Shenzen Qatar 1981 6.8 million 1982 350,000 2004 774,000 2012 7.8 million 2012 10.35 million 2010 1.69 million The largest metropolis in Europe 2030 9.2 million 2025 12 million 2026 3.3 million

13 Speaking at the Worktech Conference, London, Nov 2011 8 | City design: evolution vs revolution

Looking at the rest of the country there city. In developed, historic cities, changes these pilots so that the process can be are some good examples of cities that in infrastructure need to be evolutionary, carried forward”. Fiona Fletcher Smith are slowly transforming themselves into however that does not mean that the net at the GLA says, “the Olympics will be somewhere fit for the next 100 years. effect on city life cannot be an architectural a test for a number of issues, it will be Newcastle and , amongst others, revolution or a revolution in city living. fascinating to see how companies cope have transformed their city centres from with the changes and demands during industrial docks to cultural and digital The parallels between new and historic the period.” The hope for many is that centres that will provide a focus for the cities and their ability to develop in line the Olympics will act as a catalyst to next generation. These can be compared with the challenges of the 21st Century new ways of working and a change in to the revolutionary developments of has never been so relevant. An interesting working culture. Fiona even suggests Manchester’s Media City and the Royal comparison between an old and a new that post-Olympics incentive schemes Docks in London, which have technology city is between London, which has the based on desk/person ratio or car parking at their core but which still need to evolve technological, logistical and architectural spaces might be possible to encourage into somewhere people want to live as challenge of the forthcoming Olympics, business to continue their good practice. well as work. The ‘new city’ comparison and Qatar which will be hosting the could stretch to the revolutionary Masdar World Cup in 2022. Just as London The changes in the city’s behaviour in City in Abu Dhabi, which is carving a niche looked to previous hosts to learn from response to the challenges of Olympic for itself with a sustainability goal to be their mistakes, so Qatar will be closely travel demand for London 2012 could carbon-free and eco-friendly or Singapore watching London. While London is slowly become a milestone on the journey to One where Fusionopolis and Technopolis adapting to the needs of a techno-savvy, transport futures in a London ‘mega- clusters have been created in a dynamic agile workforce, the Olympics gives the city’. We must try and think that ‘the new development that has technology opportunity for a focused revolution in dog is for life not just for Christmas’ infrastructure at its core. These projects the way the city works. Many agencies and take the lessons learned from this will be watched with intense interest and will be using the time to pilot new ways intense period of the Olympics on into could set the trend for all future cities. of working. TfL’s Iain Macbeth is working our everyday lives. The revolution of the closely with business to encourage more Olympics gives London an incredible When we narrowly think about technology working away from the office and flexible opportunity to become the first ‘Anywhere infrastructure in a city and do not consider starting times during the Olympics to Working City’ - a concept that could the bigger picture (or the upper levels of reduce the typical peak business usage then be exported on a global level. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Living triangle) we around 9am and 5pm. But he warns that are failing to realise the full potential of the “we need to record the information from

The hope for many is that the Olympics will act as a catalyst to new ways of working and a change in working culture.

9 | Conclusion

Technology has advanced so much that its prize this year to the concept of City 2.0, workplace there will be little choice for smart, mobile devices are the norm and which “reduces the carbon footprint of its many businesses as the expectation of you can connect almost anywhere in the occupants, facilitates smaller families, and a new workforce takes over. Technology city. Combinations of people-focused eases the environmental pressure on the is vital in driving this societal change on technology enables a richer user experience world’s rural areas… is a place of beauty, the future of work and in many cases so that ‘face time’ is no longer essential wonder, excitement, inclusion, diversity, the technological infrastructure for the to create a full working relationship and life.” The future of the city is on the global Anywhere Working City is already in Smarter travel is being developed and agenda and this time technology is place. What is needed now is a change integrated into our infrastructure. The leading the debate. This debate is already in attitude and psychology, where we concept of people, technology, place being played out in London with the look holistically and ‘architecturally’ at that has been put forward to enable Mayor of London’s Transport Strategy, the workplace in its many forms within a functioning Anywhere Organisation which at the aspirational level talks about the city. This shift, combined with a could also be applied at a macro-level to how strategic transport investment can motivating business force, whether London and other mega cities to redefine transform people’s experience of living that’s pure economics, environmental the future of work within a metropolis. and working in the city and the positive pressure or a one-off like the Olympics effect these will have on economic can ensure that a city like London will But the Anywhere Working City is still development as well as our lives. stay at the leading edge, improving its a futuristic concept for many. However, economic health and wellbeing and the idea is being debated and celebrated Society will want this change but it remaining, as Sir Terry Farrell puts it, globally and in all its forms. The web site, will happen slowly and organically. By ‘the world’s great livable metropolis’. ‘TED - Ideas Worth Spreading’ has awarded the time Generation Z comes into the

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