Abstract
The paper explores the potentialities of telework, a topic with rich literature published since the 1970s, which has become topical again with its forced application related to the COVID-19 pandemic emergency. The paper carries out an analysis of the potential territorial impact—transport networks and geographies of living—of telework in the Italian national context. The analysis highlights the potential relevance of the application of telework in certain metropolitan areas that present urban poles where economic sectors with a high propensity for telework are centralised. This survey relates the large stock of tourist housing in the vicinity of large metropolitan areas to a potential demand arising from the change in housing preferences towards more pleasant contexts made possible by the application of telework. In conclusion, this work aims to contribute to the construction of a platform for the Italian context—lagging behind but with recent legislative measures on smart working—aimed at favouring the definition of research lines able to enhance the potential offered by the application of telework for environmental, social, and territorial sustainability objectives, and it also aims to outline possible territorial scenarios for the main metropolitan areas
Highlights
One of the most important effects of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis has been a deep change in travel behaviour
The need for strict interpersonal spacing and the fear of infection have led to unprecedented levels of adoption of remote online activities, including smart working [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]
The environmental benefits of telecommuting will depend on the frequency of telecommuting, and on the distance travelled by telecommuters from home to their place of work [77]. Evidence from both the United States and Europe highlights that teleworking can induce long-term changes in residential location, and that this effect can offset some of the environmental benefits [225,226,227,267,275]
Summary
One of the most important effects of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis has been a deep change in travel behaviour. On the eve of the pandemic crisis, teleworking could be regarded as a worldwide research theme in the field of ICTs, repeatedly invoked as a panacea for a wide range of societal problems, ranging from eternal economic growth to bridging social and cultural gaps via the internet [118] According to this approach, many scholars and policymakers continued regarding it as a viable instrument to solve congestion problems and reduce the environmental impact of road traffic [102,113,168,169]; to increase workers’ well-being by reducing travel-related stress, providing a better work environment and improving work–family life balance [69,170,171,172]; or to allow companies to save money through lower real estate costs and productivity gains [173]. It is surprising that half a century of research has led to quite small results, with few advancements from a theoretical point of view, with the consequence that the boom of remote working induced by the COVID-19 crisis paradoxically catches scholars and policymakers in a condition of only partial readiness in understanding and managing a suggestive phenomenon, which is much more complex than it seems [6]
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