CO-WORKING SPACES AND THE LOCALISED DYNAMICS OF INNOVATION IN BARCELONA

This paper considers a multi-level perspective to analyse the crucial role of individuals and communities outside firms in the localised dynamics of innovation. Through a qualitative study of the communities emerging in co-working spaces (CWSs) in Barcelona, we disentangle the different dynamics of innovation involving community insiders and local actors (firms, citizens and governmental bodies). We argue that CWSs act as intermediaries between creative individuals ("the underground") and innovative firms ("the upperground"), contributing to the interaction between co-located actors through the articulation of places, spaces, projects and events. The results lead to suggestions for policies to contribute to the emergence and development of innovation by fostering innovative processes outside firms.