Economic Geographies of Mountain Areas

Digital Multilocality

Goal

The Usage of digital technologies is increasingly changing traditional, place-based forms of work. New working methods and communication channels enable the same work to be carried out from different locations. This means that innovation performance is no longer tied to a specific location.

The study focused on employees/employers, self-employed workers, digital nomads and co-workers who pursue innovative work between the Swiss metropolitan areas and the Alpine regions. We investigated multilocal ways of living and working using a mix of methods including geodata (digital records/tracking) and qualitative data such as diaries, participatory observations and interviews.

The primary aim of the research project was to investigate the extent to which digitalization influences the multilocal way of working.

Support

The study was part of the research program "Digital Lives" of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and was supported by it (grant number 183231) with a duration of 1.5 years (12.2018-05.2020). The research work was led and carried out by the Institute of Geography of the University of Bern, Economic Geography Group, with the support of the Data Science Lab of the University of Bern.