REMAKING contributes to R-MAP workshop on smart working in Milan

On 3 June 2026, Ilaria Mariotti from Politecnico di Milano participated online in the R-MAP workshop “L’impatto dello smart-working a Milano”, held at Palazzo Marino, Milan City Hall.

During the workshop, she briefly presented findings from REMAKING’s case study “Post-pandemic remote workers in highly industrialized regions”, including research on smart and near working in the Municipality of Milan.

As R-MAP examines the effects of remote working on rural areas in Lombardy, Mariotti highlighted the importance of making near-working spaces available to knowledge workers in peripheral and rural territories. These spaces can help extend the benefits of flexible work beyond major urban centres and support more balanced territorial development.

The discussion also addressed several challenges linked to remote and hybrid working in Milan and Lombardy. These included the increasing difficulty faced by young people in accessing education and career opportunities because of high living and housing costs, as well as the contrast between growing demand for affordable accommodation and the large number of vacant homes in peripheral areas.

Mariotti also discussed the right to disconnect, one of the issues addressed in REMAKING’s first policy brief. She underlined that its effective implementation depends not only on regulation, but also on the development of a managerial and organisational culture that respects the boundaries between working time and personal life.

The workshop provided a valuable opportunity to exchange perspectives on the social, organisational and territorial effects of remote and hybrid working. REMAKING thanks R-MAP, its sister project, for organising the event and for the useful insights shared on the future of work in Milan and Lombardy.