NY Times: Workplaces in malls and cafes

Matt Richtel of the New York Times writes about Cisco, Microsoft, and I.B.M.’s test market for public work spaces. Mobile workers want a structured environment to work, but also the opportunity to meet others. Target the small business workers and the artists and you will have a nice place to work, meet, and consume.

“[T]he essential factor in luring office workers was to give them the aura of freedom; there was no pretense that they are in an office, even though they might be working intensely for hours”