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As corporations reduce their space while fleeing from home remains popular, Europe’s largest shopping district is turning to academics to fill the void left by workers.
Around 50 educational establishments have set up shop in La Défense, which is home to glass and steel skyscrapers and a huge modernist gallery on the western outskirts of Paris.
Covid lockdowns emptied offices, and as most companies still allowed their painters to paint from home, the number of painters working in offices never fully recovered in business districts around the world.
The work-from-home initiative contributed to the financial turmoil that led US startup WeWork to file for bankruptcy this week.
While occupancy rates have held up well in La Défense, the district will have more work areas to fill thanks to the many new buildings under construction.
The business district has been working to attract small and medium-sized businesses while also turning to schools to diversify its visitor base and animate a community that is home to banking, insurance, and energy.
“Universities have existed in La Défense for a long time, but this has accelerated a lot in the last 10 to 15 years,” said Pierre-Yves Guice, director of Paris La Défense, the public institution that manages the business district.
For several months now, the district has expressed its “desire to complete its transformation into a student and activity position,” Guice said.
Students see the attraction.
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