Public Support for New Working Spaces in Italy: The Case of Presidi di Comunità

This chapter aims to analyse the case of these new types of public working spaces and the Presidi di Comunità, which are initiated by private citizens who get some form of public support for their establishment. The collective aim behind these initiatives is to stimulate the local creative ecosystem and establish a fruitful relationship between remote workers and local communities. The chapter is composed of four sections. The introduction is followed by a description of the three typologies of policies supporting CSs usually adopted in the Italian context, as well as the changes observed since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Section 3 presents several cases of Presidi di Comunità opened before the pandemic and established through the collaboration between private citizens and public institutions, based on interviews with founders and managers. This section describes the rationale behind their opening, their business strategy, the services provided, the type of users and their role in the local context. Conclusions and suggestions for further research follow.\r\nPublic Support for New Working Spaces in Italy: The Case of Presidi di Comunità