Place Parts, Episode 13: Will the Technology Campus Sustain?

Today, we pose questions based on Vodaphone’s world headquarters in Newbury (and the “Shaw Valley” housing development next door). Post-pandemic, will what is now empty-or under construction-remain? As Sustaining a City’s Culture and Character implies, these questions don’t have ready answers. They require careful assessment and review of corporate productivity policies, what is best for the environment, and much more.

This episode has two inspirations. The first is recent announcements by other technology companies that post-pandemic, working from home will be much more commonplace. The second is housing patterns that sprawl into idyllic environments-will they continue or alter in form?

In the video, I give a visual backdrop and pose questions. The setting is only conceptual. My chosen stage-setting does not reflect actual decision-making by Vodaphone. Vodaphone a major facilitator for working from home. Neither does it reflect judgment on the adjacent housing construction now underway.

For many years, the press and professional organizations have debated the future of work and transportation. The Urban Land Institute’s “ What’s Next, Real Estate in the New Economy?,” asked similar questions, and I wrote about it almost ten years ago. Recent history carries these debates forward in an unprecedented way.

Review the special “landing page” for Sustaining a City’s Culture and Character here.

Originally published at https://sustainingplace.com on March 1, 2021.