THE GLOBAL OFFICE: A NEW OPPORTUNITY FOR THE CITY OF BUENOS AIRES? The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Quiroga Barrera Oro, Martin Javier. 2021. THE GLOBAL OFFICE: A NEW OPPORTUNITY FOR THE CITY OF BUENOS AIRES?. Master's thesis, Harvard Graduate School of Design. Citable link https://nrs.harvard.edu/URN-3:HUL.INSTREPOS:37367639 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA THE GLOBAL OFFICE: A NEW OPPORTUNITY FOR THE CITY OF BUENOS AIRES? A Thesis Submitted to the Department of Urban Planning and Design, Harvard University Graduate School of Design by Martín Javier QUIROGA BARRERA ORO In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master in Urban Planning May 2021 The author hereby grants Harvard University permission to reproduce and distribute copies of this Thesis, in whole or in part, for educational purposes. ___________________ ___________________ Student Thesis Advisor THE GLOBAL OFFICE: A NEW OPPORTUNITY FOR THE CITY OF BUENOS AIRES? Martin J. Quiroga Barrera Oro Thesis Supervisor: Diane Davis, Charles Dyer Norton Professor of Regional Planning and Urbanism CONTENTS ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................... 8 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................................... 9 GLOSSARY ............................................................................................................................. 11 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 13 Case study selection ......................................................................................................... 16 A brief overview of Buenos Aires .................................................................................... 17 Motivation .......................................................................................................................... 24 LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................................ 30 Teleworking and Telemigration ...................................................................................... 30 Location determinants and preferences ........................................................................ 33 The creative class .............................................................................................................. 36 Digital Nomads ................................................................................................................. 38 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY ..................................................................... 40 Interviews ........................................................................................................................... 40 Survey ................................................................................................................................. 41 Cartographic analysis ....................................................................................................... 41 CHAPTER 1: THE GLOBAL OFFICE .................................................................................... 43 Living here, working there ............................................................................................... 45 Sending and receiving cities ........................................................................................... 49 The categories of telemigrant, digital nomad and relocated worker ........................ 53 CHAPTER 2: TELEWORKING IN BUENOS AIRES: A RECEIVING CITY? ......................... 57 Could Buenos Aires be an opportunity for teleworking? ............................................ 58 Enablers ............................................................................................................................. 60 Human talent and labor costs ..................................................................................... 60 Education and the innovative ecosystem .................................................................. 62 Diversity and Culture .................................................................................................... 63 Barriers ............................................................................................................................... 66 Fiscal regulations .......................................................................................................... 67 Foreign exchange controls .......................................................................................... 68 Labor market conditions .............................................................................................. 69 Visa programs................................................................................................................ 71 Geographic location ..................................................................................................... 72 Digital Nomads’ priorities and perceptions .................................................................. 72 Survey Results ................................................................................................................ 75 “BA Nómades Digitales” (BA Digital Nomads) ............................................................. 77 CHAPTER 3: WHAT COULD BE THE IMPLICATIONS OF TELEWORKING FOR BUENOS AIRES? ................................................................................................................... 80 Economic implications ..................................................................................................... 80 Effects on the urban GDP ............................................................................................. 80 Fiscal revenues .............................................................................................................. 82 Spatial implications ........................................................................................................... 84 Office space ................................................................................................................... 84 Airbnbfication ................................................................................................................ 85 Social implications ............................................................................................................ 89 Housing affordability .................................................................................................... 89 Urban heritage .............................................................................................................. 90 Human capital ............................................................................................................... 94 Localizing these implications: the Parque Patricios Technological District........... 96 CHAPTER 4. POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................. 102 Economic implications ................................................................................................... 102 Boost the innovative ecosystem ................................................................................ 102 Create fiscal incentives ............................................................................................... 104 Spatial recommendations .............................................................................................. 105 Office into housing ..................................................................................................... 105 Regulations on short-term rentals............................................................................. 106 Social recommendations ............................................................................................... 106 More affordable options ............................................................................................ 106 Preserving our past, present, and future ................................................................. 108 Investing in our talent ................................................................................................. 110 Localizing the recommendation in Parque Patricios TD ............................................ 111 CONCLUSIONS .................................................................................................................. 114 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................... 118 APPENDIX A ........................................................................................................................ 133 APPENDIX B ........................................................................................................................ 137 LIST OF DIAGRAMS, FIGURES, GRAPHS, MAPS AND TABLES Diagram 1. The Global Office. Source: own elaboration. ............................................... 52 Figure 1. Digital nomads at the confluence of four concepts. ........................................ 39 Figure 2. Initiatives to attract digital nomads. ..................................................................