Understanding the role of decentralised workspaces and hybrid working in alleviating city centre pressure and promoting urban sustainability

Research on hybrid working and travel behaviour has shown inconclusive findings regarding its impact on the transport system. Studies have explored the association between hybrid work and mixed land use. Nevertheless, the spatial dynamics between residential and workplace locations, land use preferences, and the spatial needs of hybrid workers, such as the optimal location for coworking spaces (CWSs), remain under-investigated. Additionally, the potential to reduce vehicle miles travelled (VMT) and congestion through the spatial redistribution of hybrid workers from the city centre to peripheral zones remains unexplored. Therefore, this study investigates the impact of various working arrangements on commuting patterns, VMT, and spatial demand for decentralised workspaces across different locations. It also examines work and non-work trips across various geographic contexts and proposes policy strategies to maximise the benefits of hybrid working. K-means clustering and a multinomial regression model are used to analyse data collected from Greater Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 10 June to 20 July 2023. The results reveal that hybrid workers might reduce VMT, but their effectiveness depends on residential location, commuting patterns, and worker profiles. Non-work travel is significantly higher among semi-urban hybrid workers in Cluster 2 and CBD-based on-site workers in Cluster 1. Promoting hybrid work and decentralised CWSs in semi-urban areas may reduce commuter flows to the city centre, lower VMT, and support a more diverse workforce. The findings highlight the need for context-specific hybrid work and CWS strategies, offering valuable insights for policymakers and planners to support sustainable urban mobility.