M II A II R II K
Senior Member
The Future of Commuting: Meetings on the Train?
August 5th, 2010
By Melissa Lafsky
With Video: http://www.infrastructurist.com/2010/08/05/the-future-of-commuting-meetings-on-the-train/
We know that our current system of life — get in the car (or, in far too few cases, take public transit) then sit in traffic, commute to work, enter an office, repeat the process in around 8 hours — is severely taxing our infrastructure, our resources, and, as commutes in some areas reach levels approaching insanity, our emotional health. So maybe it’s time to start changing our ideas from the ground up about how our workdays should be structured.
- In part, this is already being done — as the skyrocketing popularity of telecommuting indicates. But everyone working from their home or local coffee shop has never really been considered a viable option in the developed world. We build office buildings to house workplaces, and then we fill them with workers. It may not be the most efficient or resource-friendly way of running a society, but up ’til now no one has really launched a successful campaign to change it.
- One notion that’s being shaken up is the idea that work must take place in designated work spaces, and cannot be combined with transportation. The above video shows a business meeting taking place on the Barcelona metro. The idea was created by a social and digital innovation firm called Citilab, which describes itself as an “incubator for business and social initiatives.â€
- Granted, the idea has a few snags — unless you and all your relevant co-workers are taking the same train, coordinating meetings on public transit may be difficult. And what about all the commuters who still doggedly rely on cars? Presenting Powerpoints while driving isn’t really an option. Still, as the developing world continues to expand exponentially, it’s worth asking these questions sooner rather than later.
August 5th, 2010
By Melissa Lafsky
With Video: http://www.infrastructurist.com/2010/08/05/the-future-of-commuting-meetings-on-the-train/
We know that our current system of life — get in the car (or, in far too few cases, take public transit) then sit in traffic, commute to work, enter an office, repeat the process in around 8 hours — is severely taxing our infrastructure, our resources, and, as commutes in some areas reach levels approaching insanity, our emotional health. So maybe it’s time to start changing our ideas from the ground up about how our workdays should be structured.
- In part, this is already being done — as the skyrocketing popularity of telecommuting indicates. But everyone working from their home or local coffee shop has never really been considered a viable option in the developed world. We build office buildings to house workplaces, and then we fill them with workers. It may not be the most efficient or resource-friendly way of running a society, but up ’til now no one has really launched a successful campaign to change it.
- One notion that’s being shaken up is the idea that work must take place in designated work spaces, and cannot be combined with transportation. The above video shows a business meeting taking place on the Barcelona metro. The idea was created by a social and digital innovation firm called Citilab, which describes itself as an “incubator for business and social initiatives.â€
- Granted, the idea has a few snags — unless you and all your relevant co-workers are taking the same train, coordinating meetings on public transit may be difficult. And what about all the commuters who still doggedly rely on cars? Presenting Powerpoints while driving isn’t really an option. Still, as the developing world continues to expand exponentially, it’s worth asking these questions sooner rather than later.
