UC Davis

This thesis examines how economic development trends have influenced the flows of capital in Sacramento, CA. By examining the phenomena of coworking, I hope to clarify the processes by which actors facilitate capital accumulation in an urban geography. I use two research strategies: 1) case study and 2) a quantitative analysis of tract level data. This thesis questions the common narratives around innovation and entrepreneurship by arguing that the coworking phenomena is a cover for precarity in neoliberal labor arrangements. The following research questions explore this proposition asking 1) To what extent does coworking alleviate or hinder the precarization of project-based work? 2) How does the geography of coworking intersect with the geography of urban inequality? 3) When viewed through the lens of urban economic development, what do coworking spaces tell us about capital investment into a neighborhood?