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Newest coworking space costs just $2.25 an hour, because it is a parking spot

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Re: Newest coworking space costs just $2.25 an hour, because it is a parking spot

#61
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Met a guy in DC that actually lived inside a warehouse storage unit. He had installed lights, walls for multiple bedrooms, a kitchen/bar, and a lot of cool art. I'm awful at estimating distances but I'd guess the main room was about 800sqft and the bedrooms/bathrooms were divided from another 400sqft. With a little love, any place can become a home.

I haven't ever seem a storage unit with plumbing before...

Most of the plumbing technology developed for RV 'boondocking' would be perfectly adequate. Bit of a PITA, but I've done that for 2.5 week stretches in the mountains on ~1 gallon/day of H2O. My real concern would be no windows, definitely not great for anyone who suffers from seasonal affective disorder.

Re: Newest coworking space costs just $2.25 an hour, because it is a parking spot

#62

Has anybody tried to create something like AirBnB for co-working/office spaces? There must be people willing to rent out a spare bedroom they never use, etc. All you really need to provide is a desk and internet.

There is such a startup in London (and elsewhere maybe) but the problem is the costs are greater than the cost of a true co-working space. WeWork in London has hot desks from about £10/day (monthly) and £20/day (pay as you go). A homeowner isn’t going to let someone use their home all day to make a few £. https://www.vrumi.com/

> A homeowner isn’t going to let someone use their home all day to make a few £.

Are you sure? I mean if I had the space and situation (that is, an office room separate from the rest of the house, e.g. a garage) it's something I'd consider. It probably doesn't fall under hotel / lodging laws either.

Re: Newest coworking space costs just $2.25 an hour, because it is a parking spot

#64
post #44
post #9

Welcome to Silicon Valley: where everyone has somehow bamboozled themselves into believing that working in a cramped parking space is more valuable than buying office real estate in LITERALLY any other state... Remember kids: you don’t HAVE to live in California.

One could argue that this is the reason for why it's expensive, to limit the amount of people that can be there. The invisible hand at play.

That doesn't really seem to be working -- people are coming but are doubling and tripling (and quadrupling) up in housing that wasn't meant to accommodate them.

Of course, that's nothing new - I rented a large closet (literally a closet) when I first moved to SF over 2 decades ago. Eventually I got promoted to the formal dining room (which unfortunately was the walkway from the bedrooms to the livingroom, but still beat living in a closet!)

Re: Newest coworking space costs just $2.25 an hour, because it is a parking spot

#65
post #9

Welcome to Silicon Valley: where everyone has somehow bamboozled themselves into believing that working in a cramped parking space is more valuable than buying office real estate in LITERALLY any other state... Remember kids: you don’t HAVE to live in California.

[deleted]

Re: Newest coworking space costs just $2.25 an hour, because it is a parking spot

#66

In a similar vein I'm working on an idea to monetize cemetery plots and crypts in and around San Francisco. They're quiet workplaces with scenic views (lots of flowers and greenery), often centrally located and many are close to coffee shops. With a little cabling/wiring and some temporary structures they would make ideal workplaces.

> they would make ideal workplaces

I'm not sure ideal is the right word, but I get your drift.

Re: Newest coworking space costs just $2.25 an hour, because it is a parking spot

#67
post #41
post #2

Twenty people working in a space about the size of a parking spot? I call bullshit.

It's almost like there are photos in the article or something.

Great! I count five, with a sixth standing aside.

Re: Newest coworking space costs just $2.25 an hour, because it is a parking spot

#68
post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The irony is that all the companies and startups work on internet companies which could happen anywhere with internet access. It's not like there is a gold mine under San Francisco streets that requires on site mining. And before you say "the people are the gold mine", those people could be interacted with remotely quite easily.

I don't understand the push for remote work. I have been a part of remote teams for over 11 years of my career (16 yrs). I have worked from home more days than I can count. It has enough drawbacks that I'd avoid it at any given opportunity. Here are a few reasons: - You are not part of the hallway conversations / decision changes / fly by meetings / face-memory / kitchen run ins and every other benefit of having peop…

The push is that some of us are led by life circumstances to do so. (For example, I am married to an academic with a tenure track position outside of a top-50 city.) My choices are to commute to another city or work remotely. (Coming home for the weekends sucks, by the way.) ____

That said, I find that full remote works really well. Half-remote is a lot more difficult for the reasons you say, but encouraging all employees to work remote some of the time starts to equalize those issues, because everyone has the empathy of the experience.

I've developed a set of coping strategies, but I agree that it's a tradeoff unless everyone is remote.

Re: Newest coworking space costs just $2.25 an hour, because it is a parking spot

#69
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can’t tell if you’re serious but this was a joke/stunt. The point being to show how poor of a use of space it is to have street parking lining every street in an expensive and crowded city.

Ironically, the pictures of one of the #wepark offices in the article was literally directly in front of empty commercial real estate for lease. What does this stunt prove, aside from being slightly silly? Should all the buildings be expanded by ~6',and the sidewalk moved directly adjacent to the road? Because even if personal automobiles are entirely eliminated, roads will still be necessary for access. As a tounge-…

Just a badly written article. The way I interpreted it (just having followed along a bit on twitter, I don't know these people personally) this particular thing is not directly about real estate. It's about better uses of outdoor/street space, focused on people rather than cars.

This is extremely valuable space, and it's rented out, far below its market value, by a city that claims to value environmental issues, to be put towards one of the worst offenders of carbon emissions (personal vehicles). It also adds to congestion and makes a city less enjoyable when the roads are wider and everything that isn't a car is a second class citizen.

Some better uses might be - more protected bike lanes, dedicated bus lanes, trees to offset the sidewalk further from the road or make sidewalks wider for a more vibrant, walkable street life.

Re: Newest coworking space costs just $2.25 an hour, because it is a parking spot

#70
post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The irony is that all the companies and startups work on internet companies which could happen anywhere with internet access. It's not like there is a gold mine under San Francisco streets that requires on site mining. And before you say "the people are the gold mine", those people could be interacted with remotely quite easily.

I don't understand the push for remote work. I have been a part of remote teams for over 11 years of my career (16 yrs). I have worked from home more days than I can count. It has enough drawbacks that I'd avoid it at any given opportunity. Here are a few reasons: - You are not part of the hallway conversations / decision changes / fly by meetings / face-memory / kitchen run ins and every other benefit of having peop…

Having people work remote in a non-remote culture is a completely different experience than working with a fully remote culture.

If the entire team/division/org doesn't fully embrace it, it usually just doesn't work. That doesn't mean everyone had to be remote, either.

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