The debate—introduced by FLP General Secretary Marco Carlomagno and moderated by journalist Roberto Inciocchi—featured contributions from leading institutional figures, including Antonio Naddeo, Giovanni Anastasi, and Michele Camisasca, among others.

Among the invited speakers was Ilaria Mariotti (DAStU, Politecnico di Milano), a member of the REMAKING project. Her intervention contributed to discussions on the impact of artificial intelligence and hybrid working on public administration employees—two themes at the heart of ongoing transformations in the sector.

A key focus of the event was the growing importance of hybrid work, particularly in light of expectations from Generation Z, who increasingly advocate for a better work-life balance, encapsulated in the idea of “a job for a good life, not a life for a job.”

In this context, Mariotti presented findings from REMAKING. Drawing on a large-scale survey of over 14,000 knowledge workers across Europe, the REMAKING project’s quantitative analysis highlights hybrid working as one of the main determinants of life satisfaction. These results are further explored in a working paper co-authored by Mariotti together with Federica Maria Rossi, Laura Vici, and Pierpaolo Pattitoni.

The conference also featured contributions from policymakers, including members of the Italian Parliament such as Andrea Casu, Francesco Emilio Borrelli, and Chiara Tenerini.

The participation of the REMAKING project in this event underscores its relevance in shaping policy debates on the future of work, particularly regarding hybrid work models and their implications for employee well-being and organizational performance in the public sector.

Key Achievements and Highlights

Comprehensive Policy Analysis Across Europe:
The project has developed an extensive overview of remote working policies in 29 European countries, helping identify differences in regulations on issues such as digital nomadism, privacy protections and the right to disconnect — a valuable resource for policymakers and stakeholders alike.

Four In-Depth Case Studies on Remote Work Dynamics:
REMAKING’s participatory research spans four distinct case studies — digital nomads, post-pandemic workers, high-tech skilled professionals, and enforced migration remote workers — across numerous European regions. These case studies allow the consortium to explore socioeconomic and spatial implications with real-world insights.

Strong Academic and Policy Engagement:
Over the past two years, the project has hosted and participated in high-level international events, seminars, and workshops focused on the future of remote working, showcasing research outcomes and fostering discussion among academics, policymakers, and practitioners.

Survey on 14.000 workers across Europe:

Remote and hybrid work have become a standard feature of working life across Europe, with 41.8% of respondents reporting that they work remotely at least part of the time. The finding comes from the REMAKING project survey, based on 14,000 computer-assisted web interviews conducted in Italy, Germany, Greece, Portugal, Ireland, and the Czech Republic. The study focused on executives and entrepreneurs, highly specialised professionals, skilled service and commerce workers, and clerical and administrative staff.

Media coverage and Visibility:
REMAKING’s work has attracted substantial media attention and has been featured in webinars, international conferences, and surveys showing how remote and hybrid work models have become embedded in everyday professional life in Europe.

Collaborative Project Structure Drives Success

The REMAKING consortium brings together 12 partners from across Europe — including universities, research centres and non-academic organisations — fostering interdisciplinary research that bridges urban development, economic policy, sociology, psychology and more.

Through regular consortium and stakeholder meetings — from Chania to Donostia — REMAKING has maintained strong internal collaboration and integrated stakeholder voices into its research framework.

The workshop opened with welcome remarks by Carolina Pacchi, Director of DAStU at Politecnico di Milano. This was followed by a presentation of the project by Marco R. Di Tommaso of the Università di Bologna.

A central moment of the afternoon was the presentation entitled “Proximity work in the Municipality of Milan: qualitative analysis of impacts on workers and territory”, delivered by Ilaria Mariotti and Federica Rossi (DAStU, Politecnico di Milano). The research, developed in collaboration with the Comune di Milano, examined how smart working arrangements are influencing employees’ well-being, work-life balance, organizational processes, and the everyday geographies of the city.

As Ilaria Mariotti underlined during the discussion:

“Smart working is not just an organizational measure, but a phenomenon that affects well-being, life balance, work relationships, and even the everyday geographies of the city: this is why it is important to examine both individual effects and territorial impacts together.”

The roundtable session, coordinated by Chiara Tagliaro (DABC, Politecnico di Milano), brought together representatives from institutions and stakeholder organizations, including the Regione Emilia-Romagna, INAPP, Assolombarda, Southworking, IWG Italia, Officelayout, Comune dI Bologna and trade union representatives.

During the debate, Marco Carlomagno, General Secretary of FLP, emphasized the governance dimension of remote work:

“Remote work must be governed with clear rules and with tools that protect people and guarantee service quality: dialogue among public administrations, researchers, and social partners is decisive.”

The workshop concluded with an open discussion and closing remarks by Ilaria Mariotti and Federica Rossi, reaffirming REMAKING’s commitment to providing evidence-based recommendations to support informed policymaking on remote work at local, regional, and European levels.

Mariotti contributed to the discussion by presenting findings from a recent study examining how remote work could transform residential choices and the role of cities and smaller urban areas in the decades ahead.

Three futures for Milan in the age of remote work

Mariotti’s research, ‘The call of nature. Three post-pandemic scenarios about remote working in Milan’ published in 2024 by Mariotti, Marco Biagetti, Giuseppe Croce, Federica Rossi and Sergio Scicchitano, explores how the rise of remote working — accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and a growing desire to live closer to nature — could shape cities by 2050. Using 2021 data to ground the analysis, the study develops three possible scenarios:

• The Gentrified City
  In this scenario, Milan becomes increasingly attractive to higher-income residents, intensifying housing demand in central and well-served areas. The result would be rising property values and growing social and economic inequality — a trend that already shows signs of emerging today.
• The Doughnut City
  Here, large numbers of remote workers leave the city in search of smaller towns or greener environments, hollowing out the urban core. While national data suggest many Italian workers would consider moving if remote work were fully available, Milan appears more resilient. The study finds that fewer Milan residents are willing to leave compared to the national average, likely due to the city’s strong services and amenities. As a result, a full “donut effect” — an emptying city center — is considered unlikely.
• The Intermediary Cities Scenario
  This is presented as the most desirable outcome. In this future, some remote workers relocate not to remote rural areas but to medium-sized cities, helping to rebalance population distribution and reduce territorial inequalities without weakening major metropolitan hubs like Milan.

Each study was presented in a 20-minute session followed by a 10-minute discussion led by an invited scholar, encouraging lively debate and cross-disciplinary exchange throughout the day.

The seminar opened with welcome remarks from Carolina Pacchi, Head of the DAStU Department at Politecnico di Milano. Patrizia Leone (University of Bologna) and Ilaria Mariotti (Politecnico di Milano) then introduced the REMAKING project and its research goals.

Cities, Well-Being and Spatial Change

The morning sessions highlighted how remote work is reshaping cities and daily life. Shauna Brail (University of Toronto) examined how remote and hybrid work are influencing the future of Canadian cities, with discussion led by Ilaria Mariotti.

Research on quality of life followed, as Laura Vici, Pierpaolo Pattitoni, Ilaria Mariotti, and Federica Rossi analysed whether hybrid working has become the “new normal” and how it affects life satisfaction and work–life balance among knowledge workers. Aleid Brouwer (University of Groningen) led the discussion.

Housing and mobility trends were also central themes. Paolo Veneri (GSSI) presented findings on spatial changes in housing demand linked to the rise of remote work, discussed by Fabrizio Montanari (Unimore).

Later, Vicente Royuela (University of Barcelona), Luca Alfieri, Ilaria Mariotti, and Federica Rossi explored how flexible working arrangements influence residential choices and mobility patterns across Europe, with discussion by Dimitris Manoukas (Politecnico di Milano).

The morning concluded with Vincenzo Alfano, Ilaria Mariotti, and Federica Rossi presenting an analysis of European pandemic-era data to understand how hybrid working shapes life satisfaction. The discussion was led by Carles Mendez Ortega (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya).

Economic Activity and Regional Adoption

Afternoon presentations focused on economic and regional dimensions. Federica Rossi, Tommaso Cigognetti, Dimitris Manoukas, and Martin Hulényi shared Italian evidence on the relationship between e-commerce growth and working from home, followed by discussion led by Oliver Rafaj (University of Bratislava).

Giuseppe Croce and Alessia Matano (Sapienza University of Rome) presented research on the drivers of remote work adoption across European regions, with discussion by Federica Rossi.

The role of physical workspace was examined by Alessandra Migliore, Chiara Tagliaro, and Cristina Rossi Lamastra (Politecnico di Milano), who discussed whether workspace design affects where academics conduct their research. Their session was discussed by Vincenzo Alfano.

Closing the seminar, Patrizia Leone, Elena Prodi, and Marco R. Di Tommaso presented a metropolitan case study on the socio-economic trajectories linked to remote working in the Bologna area. Stefania Fiorentino (University of Cambridge) led the final discussion of the day.

Held at Sala Tassinari, Palazzo D’Accursio, in the heart of Piazza Maggiore, the Policy Colloquia brought together universities, institutions, social partners, and businesses to foster open dialogue on how to transform spaces, time, and the quality of work in order to improve people’s lives and strengthen local communities.

The event focused on some of the most pressing challenges facing metropolitan areas today, with particular attention to:

• Remote, hybrid, agile, and nomadic work

• Climate change and environmental sustainability

• Housing emergency and territorial rebalancing

• Growth, innovation, and talent attraction

• Mobility, disability, and inclusion

• Quality of life, equity, justice, gender, and inequalities

The working day, running from 8:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., was coordinated by Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna and developed in close collaboration with the Municipality of Bologna, within the framework of the REMAKING project. The initiative benefited from the active contribution of a broad network of researchers, policymakers, and practitioners committed to shaping more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable metropolitan futures.

The relevance of the CiMET Policy Colloquia was further confirmed by its strong media coverage. The event and its themes were featured in an interview aired on RAI National Television, broadcast on the regional news for Emilia-Romagna, and later published on Rainews.it. In addition, a dedicated article appeared in the local newspaper Il Resto del Carlino, highlighting the role of Bologna as a living laboratory for urban and social innovation.

Among the stakeholders involved were representatives from:

• Municipality of Bologna

• CNA Emilia-Romagna

• CGIL Bologna

• ART-ER Emilia-Romagna

• ARPAE Emilia-Romagna

• Eco&Eco (private sector – Economy and Ecology)

The event was organised by Assumption University, under the coordination of Prof. Dr. Kitti Phothikitti, together with Peking University, represented by Prof. Xiang Yong, UNESCO Chair on Creativity and Sustainable Development in Rural Areas. Within this high-level international framework, REMAKING was presented as a key European initiative addressing the intersection of collaborative spaces, culture, technology and social innovation.

During her presentation, Ilaria Mariotti discussed how REMAKING research contributes to understanding the role of collaborative and socio-cultural hybrid spaces in:

• attracting remote workers and talents,
• fostering social innovation,
• supporting the transformation of communities and territories.

A dedicated presentation of the REMAKING project further showcased its relevance for global debates on cultural technology, new forms of work, and community-based innovation.

Ilaria Mariotti has been appointed Advisory Expert of the newly established Cultural Technology and Social Innovation Lab, jointly promoted by Assumption University (Thailand) and Peking University (China).

Organisers of the seminar

In recent weeks, the REMAKING project has been featured in the media several times, including interviews with consortium members and news reports. Coverage has appeared in the press, on digital media and on the radio.

REMAKING has been featured on the radio four times. The REMAKING project was mentioned in the news on the Gipuzkoa affiliate of the SER radio station. Manex Urruzola, Elhuyar, mentioned key data on remote working in Europe.  Cadena SER is Spain’s pioneering and most listened-to generalist radio station, with around four million listeners.

Ignasi Capdevila from Paris School of Business has been interviewed on the ‘La Mecanica Del Caracol’ radio show from Radio Euskadi. Radio Euskadi is the public basque radio station, and ‘La Mecanica Del Caracol’ is a space dedicated to the dissemination of science, technology, and history, directed and presented by Eva Caballero. Current events, experiments, explanations of everyday or extraordinary phenomena, historical figures, and events all come together in this program.

Manex Urruzola from Elhuyar has been interviewed on the ‘Baipasa’ radio show from Euskadi Irratia. Euskadi Irratia is the public basque radio station, and Urruzola was interviewed as the organizer of the project meeting held in Donostia and explains in detail what the REMAKING project is about.

Urruzola has been interviewed on the ‘Más de Uno Gipuzkoa’ radio show from Onda Cero San Sebastián. Onda Cero is Spain’s third-largest radio station by number of listeners as of 2024, and Onda Cero San Sebastián is its subsidiary in Gipuzkoa , and Urruzola was interviewed as the organizer of the project meeting held in Donostia and explains in detail what the REMAKING project is about.

REMAKING has appeared twice in the digital media outlet ‘EnpresaBidea’. ‘EnpresaBidea’ is a Basque digital newspaper specialising in economic and business, published on its website information about the meeting that the REMAKING project held on November 20 and 21 in Donostia. In addition to this news, Ignasi Capdevila from Paris School of Business was interviewed by ‘EnpresaBidea’ about his work on the REMAKING project.

Print media outlets have also taken an interest in REMAKING in recent weeks. Patrizia Leone, University of Bologna, has been interviewed in Berria, the main Basque newspaper. In the interview, she gives a detailed analysis of the REMAKING project and the project’s ongoing work.

Ivana Lukeš Rybanská from The Prague University of Economics and Business (VŠE) has also been in the media lately. She has written an opinion article on remote work as a member of the REMAKING consortium in the Czech business quarterly Finmag.

Also involving Rybanská The REMAKING project has been mentioned in this Czech economic daily Hospodářské noviny feature about the sundays blues with with some input from the consortium member.

Working time remains largely unchanged despite the shift in work location. The traditional 40-hour week continues to dominate across both remote and non-remote workers. Non-remote workers report an average of 38.4 hours per week and a median of 40, while remote workers report an average of 38.2 hours and the same median of 40, with around 19 of those hours typically worked from home. The main transformation relates to where work is carried out rather than how much time is spent working.

                                                         Infographic with survey data. Click to expand

Gender representation in remote work shows full parity, with men and women each accounting for 50% of remote workers. Among those who do not work remotely, 52% are men and 47% are women, with 1% not responding. Median working hours stand at 40 hours for all groups, regardless of gender or work model. Average weekly hours show minor differences, with men in remote roles working 39.4 hours compared to 36.9 hours for women, and men in non-remote roles working 40.1 hours compared to 36.9 hours for women.

Age patterns indicate that workers aged 35 to 54 are most strongly represented among remote workers, accounting for 53.3% of that group compared to 48.2% among non-remote workers. Younger workers aged 18 to 34 are slightly more concentrated in office-based roles, representing 31.7% of remote workers versus 33.4% of non-remote workers. Workers aged 55 and above are evenly distributed between remote and non-remote work, suggesting that flexible working models are now established across all age groups.

The survey questionnaire consisted of around 40 questions covering sociodemographic characteristics such as age, gender identity, nationality, education, household composition, caring responsibilities, disability and citizenship status, along with detailed geographic information. Additional sections explored occupation type, employment contracts, weekly working hours, industry sector, and company characteristics, including ownership, size, profit orientation, multinational status, and start-up profile.

In the video below Patrizia Leone, University of Bologna, and Ilaria Mariotti, Politecnico di Milano, explain in detail the most important conclusions of the survey conducted by REMAKING members among 14,000 workers across Europe.