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I think COVID is changing the nature of work. Offices are set to become hubs rather than permanent bases. This gives us the change to re-imagine two things: the office and the city centre.
If an office is somewhere you primarily come to meet and interact rather than base yourself from, the traditional design needs to change. More meeting space and more open areas. More hotdesking and lockers, less desks and pedestals.
Side note: there are implications of this change for workplace culture that leaders would do well to embrace. This is a huge increase in autonomy for many, and ensuring you have the right culture will be key to making that a success.
Also think this means we will need less offices. That is both a threat and an opportunity for city centres. But what if this allowed us to reimagine them, with more space for recreation and living - and less traffic. Planning rules need to be overhauled to enable these changes.
Change can be painful. It is often better to embrace and shape it rather than fight it though.
