„Rewaloryzacja” centrum miasta: tendencje lokalizacyjne przedsiębiorstw technologicznych w skali mikro na przykładzie Warszawy = “Revalorisation” of the city centre: location trends among micro scale technology companies as exemplified by Warsaw

Abstract

The main objective of the paper was to analyse the spatial distribution of technology companies in the city, as well as to identify factors influencing their location. Warsaw, which can be treated as a metropolis with a relatively well-developed startup ecosystem, was used as an example of the changes occurring in urban space as a result of the fourth technological revolution. The analyses showed that entities involved in the production and implementation of new technological solutions located their activities more often in the central part of the city than in the peripheral districts. Among the important factors for their location were first of all the features of the building, including in particular the availability of coworking space offered in modern office buildings. However, residential buildings as well as older office buildings were also popular. This may indicate that technology companies - often start-ups - are looking for locations with lower space rental costs, but providing appropriate urbanisation benefits related to, for example, catering (cafes) and good transport accessibility, in particular proximity to metro station. On the other hand, agglomeration effects related to proximity to customers were not local but city-wide. Similarly, the accessibility of an airport did not significantly affect the location preferences of Warsaw's technology companies.