How rural coworking hubs can facilitate well-being through the satisfaction of key psychological needs

Abstract

Once considered an urban phenomenon, rural enterprise hubs (REH) and rural coworking spaces (RCWS) are now increasing in popularity to support entrepreneurial rural communities. Whilst previous research has examined economic and community benefits, a focus on well-being benefits has been overlooked. Framed by self-determination theory, this empirical research investigates whether rural coworking is reported to enhance user’s well-being by fulfilling key psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness. By applying a well-being focus, we found that potential key drivers of rural coworking uptake and durability could be elucidated, in terms of these three needs. In addition, we identified another category of well-being that was fulfilled through engagement with RCWS and REH – namely – ‘communion with nature’. We suggest that considerations of well-being are important to understand how rural coworking can attract and sustain local workers and suggest a future research agenda to further conceptualise well-being effects.

Rural arts entrepreneurs’ placemaking – how ‘entrepreneurial placemaking’ explains rural creative hub evolution during COVID-19 lockdown

“…The empirical findings illustrate the novel lens of ‘entrepreneurial placemaking’. Further research should explore the role of entrepreneurial placemaking in creative hub development and evolution to establish to what extent co-creation and multi-actor reimagining can refine creative hubs and the microbusinesses that form them (Merrell et al, 2022). Further studies need to validate these research findings in other creative sectors to offer different insights into how resident artisan entrepreneurs can collaboratively reimagine and economically develop creative hubs.…”

‘Honey pot’ rural enterprise hubs as micro-clusters: Exploring their role in creativity-led rural development

“…Research on clusters, coworking spaces and enterprise hubs has typically had an urban focus, although they are now beginning to spread to rural areas (Avdikos and Merkel, 2020). REHs are beneficial to their rural tenants, by providing crucial access to new networking opportunities and knowledge sources, and contribute to increased wellbeing (Merrell, 2019; Merrell et al (This Issue)).…”

All hubs and no spokes? Exploring the potential of hubs to sustain rural and regional development

“…In some cases, like community food hubs, this has triggered social enterprises to fill the gap (Curry, this issue) who face their own distinctive challenges. More recently, the COVID pandemic has seen hubs adopting digital technologies in new ways to stay connected to their audiences and provide new support too (Hill et al, this issue; Merrell, Russell et al, this issue).…”

“…Extending the argument that hubs in rural areas can provide more than functional purposes, some of the papers have also identified their placemaking roles. In the creative sector, ‘honeypot’ hubs (Merrell, Rowe et al) and creative hubs (Hill et al) are each analysed in terms of the wider value that they offer. In the case of honeypots, the ‘shop-window’ effect of raising footfall combines with enhanced networking and collaboration opportunities and in creative hubs too, the actions of key individuals can create a distinctive identity as well a strong support network.…”

“…The range of “hubs” in rural areas has extended across many activities relating to diverse social, cultural, health and wellbeing, economic, technological and environmental needs of rural places. Rural transport hubs have been discussed in an earlier volume (Bosworth et al, 2020) and this issue adds contributions that focus on food hubs (Curry), enterprise hubs (Merrell, Rowe et al), co-working hubs (Merrell, Russell et al; Avdikos and Papageorgiou), creative hubs (Hill et al), digital hubs (Rundel and Salemink; Price et al) and service hubs (Goodwin-Hawkins et al). Each of these combine questions of place and function, recognising that hubs are shaped by their socio-cultural and environmental context, while simultaneously shaping that context through their development and activities.…”