Coworking is a rising trend in Europe and our province: in non-metropolitan Barcelona, there are currently 26 spaces designed to facilitate collaboration with other professionals. Of these, the Barcelona Provincial Council has accompanied and advised 12 workspaces within the framework of the BCN Smart Rural strategy, an action that has started from the criterion that coworking spaces are not only intended for independent professionals from the urban world: these facilities also enhance the creativity and innovation capacity of people who live and work outside the big cities and can be particularly useful when promoting collaborative work among entrepreneurs in the rural world.

The vision of coworking spaces as common spaces that go beyond physical spaces has guided the making of 'A Shared Path', the new short film of the 'BCN Smart Rural Stories'.The purpose of this series is to provide a platform for those who are at the forefront of promoting a healthier and more sustainable agri-food system in the Barcelona province. In this particular video, three pioneers of collaborative work in the area have been featured to share their insights. They are Natxo Tarrés, co-founder of Irehom, a holistic work institute located in Castellgalí; Sophie Blais, director of Can Serrat, a residence for artists and writers with a program of joint actions in El Bruc; and Begoña García, the manager of the Intercounty Consortium of Socio-Economic Initiatives. García advocates for the creation of rural coworking spaces because they «help promote local development and energize the territory».

About the new BCN Smart Rural coworking spaces

Promoting shared workspaces in the towns of the province is one of the priority actions of BCN Smart Rural, the strategy of the Barcelona Provincial Council to transform the agri-food sector of the region. Specifically, we want to implement a network of coworking spaces that will serve independent professionals and creative entrepreneurs who have chosen to develop their activity outside the city of Barcelona. To achieve this, the corporation collaborates with the Association of Rural Initiatives of Catalonia (ARCA), the town councils and local entities that want to promote the collaborative economy in rural areas thanks to telework and new technologies, and is co-financed by the FEDER funds of the European Union.

The services offered as part of BCN Smart Rural include analysis, support, training and knowledge transfer between the different coworking spaces in the province. Support is also given when making digital marketing plans that allow for improving the visibility of these spaces on social media and increasing the number of users.

Within the framework of the BCN Smart Rural strategy, 12 workspaces that, in total, have 20,000 m², host 187 companies and have more than 440 co-workers, have been accompanied and advised.

For more information on coworking spaces supported as part of the BCN Smart Rural strategy, please contact coworking@arca-dr.cat.

— BCN Smart Rural Editorial —