The need for an interdisciplinary approach to remote work and urban policy

Abstract

The unexpectedly rapid rise of remote work in recent years has presented a major challenge for cities across the globe. Evidence-based urban policies are needed to harness the many benefits of widespread remote work while mitigating negative externalities. Existing remote work research, although providing a range of valuable and interesting findings, can be challenging to translate into urban policy due to a discipline-specific focus or conflicting results from seemingly similar studies. We propose a new conceptual approach to remote work research that promotes deeper collaboration across disciplines to inform robust and comprehensive remote work policy. Cities worldwide are grappling with the rise of remote work, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. This Perspective argues that research on remote work is siloed and suggests a coherent approach for interdisciplinary engagement to improve evidence-based policy.