Compulsory symbiosis as a benefit of suburban third places. A case study in the Poznań agglomeration

The progressing digitization of the economy, following the development of mobile technologies, has led to significant changes in the operations of businesses and has resulted in the emergence of new, flexible forms of work. Completely new business models are being created, based on mobile technologies, e.g. coworking is gaining in popularity within the so-called sharing economy (Durante, Turvani, 2018). In practice, each coworking space gives its own definition, as there are significant differences in the services offered, the space, the number of users, the business model, the work culture, the institutional goals, the values and participation in social movements (Parrino, 2013). In agglomerations and large cities, coworking space is developing dynamically and is no longer a new phenomenon. It is becoming more and more popular in small towns and rural areas (Krauss, Tremblay, 2020; Konecka-Szydłowska, Czupich, 2022). The aim of the article is to identify and present coworking as a third workplace in suburbia. To this end, an attempt has been made to provide answers to the questions about 1/ The specificity of coworking space outside big cities, 2/ If local conditions largely affect the emergence of a third workplace (the example of the village of Dąbrówka), 3/ The operations of Parkova Coworking, located in the village of Dąbrówka in the Poznań agglomeration. In order to clarify the interplay between local conditions and the possibilities for coworking in suburbia, the following research hypothesis was put forward: the operation of Parkova Coworking as a third workplace in suburbia is based on a compulsory symbiosis.