There are over 20 shared spaces now, according to The City’s Office of Workforce and Economic Development, with four of those opening in just the past few months.

Due to the recession, many San Francisco workers have turned to self-employment and freelance work, only requiring a minimal amount of working space, thus making shared office space absolutely ideal.

One particular space that has proved extremely popular is ‘The Hub’ that, despite only launching three months ago, has attracted 400 members, catering to a particular niche of work.

Founder Alex Michel said, “We are providing a home, inspiring community and support structure for those who are building solutions for people and planet. By connecting change-makers, sharing resources, and cultivating new ideas, we can massively increase the scale the impact of our collective work.”

He added, “The Hub is about a purpose-driven community coming together around ideas of social and environmental change.”

As well as helping to save a great deal of money, a shared office space will also allow workers to network with each other effectively and work in a secure environment with equipped facilities.

The firm, which is the fifth fastest-growing company in the region, has purchased 57,474 sq ft of space, which is divided up as 31,553 sq ft of office space and 25,921 of warehouse space.

The property chosen is 6410 Cindy Lane in Carpinteria, California and has property listings of around $6 million. it was previously owned by the Salvation Army who placed it on the market in 2009.

With headquarters in Ventura, lying just under 20 miles from the new space, the company is one of only 22 companies that occupies over 50,000 sq ft of office space on the South Coast of California.

Co-founder of Lynda.com, Lynda Weinman, said, “Creating a consolidated Lynda.com campus with expanded, customized workspace literally allows us to have more room for creating an even more constructive educational experience for our members.”

The recent deal represents one of the top 10 most important commercial property sales on the South Coast in 2010. Lynda.com were advised by commercial broker Hayes.

Spokesman for Hayes, Christos Celmayster, said, “Acquisition of the property enables lynda.com to better plan their current growth and future expansion needs while securing their future real estate needs in Carpinteria.”

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart (ODNSS) have leased 17,590 sq ft of space at One Market Plaza and United Business Media (UBM) are set to occupy around 36,500 sq ft of space at 303 Second Street. Grubb & Ellis Co. represented both tenants for the deal.

United Business Media is a business media company with headquarters in Manhasset, New York that integrates online and print technologies and platforms to provide clients with an effective service. Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart cater are a law firm based in the US Virgin Islands catering to Fortune 500 companies.

ODNSS are expected to move into the new office at the beginning of Q4 2010, whilst UBM will move in at the start of Q1 2011.

A recent Grubb & Ellis forecast has stated that the downtown office market has begun to stabilize and there will be a drop in vacancies, stating, “As the downtown market tightens, look for generous concession packages to begin to erode as rental rates slowly increase.”

The forecast added, “For tenants, strong financials will help to secure better leasing terms, weak financials may mean taking space as-is or settling for a short-term deal.”

The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, owner of the site, has agreed a deal injecting $1.6 billion of public finances to the full restoration of the World Trade Center.

The previous World Trade Center towers were destroyed on September 11th, 2001 in a terrorist attack and have lain bare since; however these new plans will help to finance a 64-storey building which has already begun construction, as well as a planned 71-storey tower if the location proves popular with tenants.

The first tower, to be called 1 World Trade Center, will offer approximately 2.6 million sq ft of office space and is expected to be completed in 2013 with the Port Authority already agreeing to lease space within the building as its new headquarters.

Despite a third tower potentially being in the development pipeline, predictions are tentative until market conditions improve.

Developer Larry Silverstein said, “Downtown has emerged as one of the world’s most exciting mixed-use neighborhoods, offering an unparalleled blend of high-tech office space, retail, residential living and cultural attractions.”

The development will also feature a transit hub and a memorial to the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The chamber are concerned that it could divert potential tenants from important offices in the south downtown. Such projects included 275 Second on 20th Street and Second Avenue, which are still waiting for confirmation of tenants before they can be developed.

President of the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce, Brian Chalmers, said, “[It is] a fairly significant size and it would likely supply a fair bit of Saskatoon’s requirements going forward for a number of years for commercial space.”

He added, “There’s a concern that there could be a competition for tenants that may be detrimental to these other projects going forward. There is no bad guy, it’s how we can make this work the best in the long run.”

However, Rob Norris, minister in the Saskatchewan Party government, has stressed that, although the plans were created due to an increase in demand from potential clients, the plans are still in a very early stage and have to be be fully approved.

Mr Norris said, “There is going to be a very fulsome consultative process if and as this moves forward.”

He concluded, “A leading principle for us as government is, in the area of innovation, government is certainly not going to compete with the private sector. There are a whole range of options and it really depends on the demand side.”

The planned site is proposed for the corner of 47th Street and Broadway, where a 1920s vintage Plaza building currently stands. A 96-unit apartment block would also need to be razed.

Chairman and chief executive of Polsinelli Shughart, W. Russell Welsh, said, “We could not be more pleased to have our own building in the center of the Plaza, where our firm began nearly 40 years ago. The location is like Main and Main, right in the center of the Plaza. It’s a location our clients like to come to.”

The new property would be eight stories tall and feature 192,000 sq ft bringing an array of businesses towards the city; however there has some public objection to the proposed demolition, which is likely to go ahead due to a lack of landmark protection.

Almost 5,000 people have signed up to a ‘Save the Plaza 2010′ page on facebook and there have been may be some protests to the development. President of the Historic Kansas City Foundation, Scott Lane, said, “I think it would be very short-sighted to not study the impact of this project to the fabric and environment of the Plaza.”

Polsinelli Shughart were advised to take the new development by Block Real Estate Services, following a merger in Q1 2009 that caused a significant rise in the size of the company.

The new office building was originally designed to measure approximately 1,420 ft, just 34 ft shy of the 102-storey Empire State Building.

However, the owner of the Empire State Building, Anthony Malking believes that this new building will take a lot of focus away from the imposing skyscraper that was previously voted as the number one favorite building in the USA.

Mr Malkin said, “We view this as an assault on New York City and its iconography. It’s the end of the image of New York City that billions of people hold dear.”

He has also expressed wishes that the new structure be no more than 825 ft high, so as not to damage the view. However, there has been some objection to Mr Malkin’s wishes, as the new property will bring around 7,000 new jobs and provide a significant benefit to the city’s economy.

Spokesman for developer Vornado Realty Trust, David Greenbaum, said, “The fact is, New York City’s skyline has never stopped changing and I certainly hope it never will.”

The final decision will lie with New York Mayor, Michael Bloomberg who thus far has shown support for the office block.

The US bank has put out requests to landlords in Lower and Midtown Manhattan and it’s believed the Port Authority of New York and Jersey, who own 1 World Trade Center, have already been asked for a proposal. The new office tower is currently experiencing slack demand but many experts think that a massive letting like this could help to boost interest in the building and revive the lagging New York commercial real estate market.

The bank currently has offices at 1 Bryant Park in Midtown, 114 West 27th Street and 100 West 33rd Street but but it’s thought the firm is keen to take advantage of the state of the art facilities available in some of the newer office developments in the area.

“We will continue to have a presence in both Downtown and Midtown, but the current footprint in each may change depending on business needs and market opportunities,” commented Bank of America spokesperson Kelli Cishek.

Although 1 World Trade Center is far from full, it has already managed to secure some major tenants. Earlier this month Conde Naste agreed to rent more than a third of the building’s 2.6 million sq ft of office space, while federal agencies have also signed up for 1.1 million sq ft.

Other New York office space options which meet the bank’s requirements include 11 Times Square and the World Financial Center complex, which the firm inherited in 2009 when it bought Merrill Lynch & Co.

The company has signed for 10,000 sq ft of office space in the new building on a five-year lease term, moving at the end of their current lease at a nearby office on Avenida Fabricante.

Bubba Gump will occupy half of the second floor of the office property whilst the city will continue to use the other half. At the end of Q2 2010, Corrective Solutions Inc took 20,000 sq ft of office space on the entire third floor on a five-year lease.

The city aims to build a new civic centre at 910 Calle Negocio but this currently hinges on the sale of the current City Hall site; however by leasing space on this street, the cost of building will be minimized.

According to city central services officer, Kumi Elston, space in San Clemente is ‘very competitive’ but rents are comfortably low; however the recent leases of 910 Calle Negocio will bring in $341,000 annually. $56,000 of this will be spent on renovations and tenant improvements and $41,220 given to brokers.

Presenting a good location and cheap rents, San Clemente could present a fantastic opportunity for small businesses to gain some premium office space for effective use.

Despite being based on Arsenal property, the development will allow military and civilian contractors to work alongside each other as over 75% of the development will lie outside of security gating.

The development will also feature a number of new restaurants, hotels, retail shops and an amphitheatre for concerts.

Construction aims to begin in Q4 2010 with the first phase expected to be completed by the same quarter in the following year. U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions has also shown his support for the development, saying, “We’re excited, it’s going to be first-rate. We’ve created a synergy here, a synergy for military, space and technology that’s like nothing anywhere in the country.”

The new development is expected to revolutionise the area, bringing a lot more accessibility, shopping and workspace opportunities in an intelligent and highly functional set of properties.

Major General James Myles, Redstone commander, said, “We’re bursting at the seams, we don’t have enough office space. So what we thought we’d do is take a bit different track and say ‘Let’s build buildings on the Arsenal, but outside the gates.”