{"id":1004796547,"date":"2026-05-01T10:24:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T18:24:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/?p=1004796547"},"modified":"2026-05-22T06:33:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T14:33:55","slug":"the-new-coworking-map-expands-outside-the-cbd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/the-new-coworking-map-expands-outside-the-cbd\/","title":{"rendered":"The New Coworking Map Expands Outside the CBD"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"TailoredSpace\u2019s\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
TailoredSpace\u2019s Rancho Cucamonga campus in the Inland Empire exemplifies the qualities that attract customers to flex spaces in secondary and suburban markets: open work areas with strong regional access, rail and freeway connections, and proximity to major retail destinations.
Image courtesy of TailoredSpace<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As hybrid work becomes increasingly embedded in office occupants\u2019 strategies, coworking\u2019s next expansion cycle is shifting outside urban cores. After years of association with downtown locations, startups and short-term users, the sector is moving toward smaller markets. In those locations, convenience, amenities and right-sized space matter more than being in a CBD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For many companies, the answer is no longer a single downtown headquarters. Coworking is part of their strategy to support hybrid workers and a more distributed network of workplaces that combine traditional offices with flexible spaces, satellite locations and on-demand meeting spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe greatest opportunity isn\u2019t in reinventing the office, but in repositioning it where people live,\u201d said Drew Sanden, co-founder of TailoredSpace, who believes that secondary markets have been underserved for years. \u201cWhile major metros are saturated with flexible space, these high-income suburban nodes present a massive growth opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coworking\u2019s expansion mirrors the office market\u2019s broader shifts and the need for flexible, cost-effective alternatives to long-term leases. In 2025, the flex-space sector gained 1,000 locations nationally, which increased its share of total office inventory<\/a> to 2.2 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part of that demand comes from enterprise clients using coworking as an alternative to a centralized headquarters. Another factor is the push by operators to incorporate flex space into their portfolios to reposition underperforming office assets. And nowhere is that shift more visible than in secondary markets, where coworking is emerging as a primary workplace solution rather than a temporary alternative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"TailoredSpace\u2019s\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
TailoredSpace\u2019s amenity-rich common area in its Kearny Mesa, Calif., location underscores the growing appeal of coworking environments that blend collaborative space with lifestyle-oriented design.
Image courtesy of TailoredSpace<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Demand moves outward<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hybrid work may have reduced daily commuting, but it still calls for professional workspaces outside people\u2019s homes. Demand has shifted toward convenient locations that offer private, collaborative environments, without the friction of a long trip to a central business district.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For occupiers, flexibility entails more than shorter leases. It means allowing customers to use only the space and services they need. A 50-person requirement that once might have translated into a conventional 10,000-square-foot lease may now be met with a smaller private-office footprint, 20 to 30 shared desks and access to meeting or event space, noted John Arenas, CEO of Serendipity Labs. That has expanded coworking\u2019s potential market by allowing it to serve occupiers that previously would have turned to traditional office leasing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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With most tenants and occupied space in suburban and secondary markets comprising requirements under 10,000 square feet, coworking should be on every property tour.<\/strong><\/p>\n\u2014John Arenas, CEO, Serendipity Labs<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Secondary markets are no longer just a backup for remote workers or business owners. \u201cThey are now the primary destination for regional talent,\u201d Sanden observed. \u201cPeople aren\u2019t just working from home, they\u2019re working near home.\u201d In many cases, companies are no longer choosing between working from home and headquarters, but between a long commute and a workspace embedded in the communities where their employees live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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