Among the many positive  benefits of growth is the coworking trend. While the traditional office probably won’t disappear anytime soon, the idea of a work force that isn’t tied to a desk and a lunchroom with red Swingline staplers is here to stay. Having to “go to the office” typically indicates part of the marginal disutility Keynes describes in his General Theory: it isn’t very much fun. But coworking is meeting the demands of the labor market providing a setting for new kinds of jobs without the organization chart, the mandatory birthday cakes and cards, but many of the benefits of collaboration that are a benefit of the traditional office.

Many new businesses locating in Seattle are creating these kinds of jobs and entrepreneurs are leveraging coworking space to save money, enhance business contacts, and remain flexible. Smart Growth Seattle has chosen We Work South Lake Union for our offices; it’s got everything a small, start-up non-profit needs without the downsides of a long lease and lot of overhead. Plus We Work’s location in South Lake Union puts us in the heart of the growth we’re advocating for; Stack House and the new Amli Apartments are right across the street.

There is an expansive article in the Urban Land Magazine titled How Coworking is Transforming the Office. Everything you’ll read about in the article is at work here in South Lake Union.

But everyone seems to agree that coworking is a trend on the rise. Elam cites a 2013 study by Intuit that predicts that by 2020 more than 40 percent of the U.S. workforce—about 60 million people—will be freelancers, contractors, or temp workers. “Coworking really dovetails with that,” she says. “It’s got nowhere to go but up.”

Coworking may not work for everyone or every organization, but it is an efficient use of space and could begin to transform the built environment with many more options for people who won’t have to drive to work but can live and work in a dense, compact neighborhood like South Lake Union.