Other ideas

#TheFutureIsYours Transversal and cross-cutting issues

Warning: Automatic translations may not be 100% accurate. Show automatically-translated text

Incentives for remote workers to live in small towns and rural areas

Tencho Tenev 21/12/2021 22:03

21/12/2021 22:33 0 comments

After considering the impacts of urbanisation and increasing evidence on the benefits of remote working, I had the idea that some remote workers will be better off living in small towns and rural areas than in the city as they currently do. It's better for the remote worker and their family who get access to cleaner air and water, more living space, being closer to nature, potentially using less energy and overall lower cost of living. It's also better for society because many EU cities have issues with overcrowding and pollution that could become more manageable if some of the population moves out. It should also be better for the small business and community in rural areas to get a boost of young people.

So it seems like a win for everyone, how can we convince and support more people to make the leap? I won't claim to have all the answers so please comment with your suggestions. I will just give a few examples here, but understand that not all policies will work for all places. I recommend a data-driven approach where we survey young remote workers who live in large EU cities to find out what matters to them. Of course, we need someone smart to formulate the questions, too. For example, support for buying a home when moving out of the city could help. Investment in public services in small towns - is there a good school for my kids, is there a good doctor, can my friends easily visit me, is there good internet service, etc.