Abstract

The rapid expansion of remote work, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has generated profound and uneven 
transformations in housing markets, commuting behavior, and urban social stratification. This paper synthesizes 
emerging evidence on how telework reshapes residential location choices, housing affordability, and spatial 
inequality across metropolitan regions. It highlights the reconfiguration of commuting patterns, including reduced 
daily travel, increased hybrid mobility, and the rise of third-place work environments. While some regions 
experience suburbanization and spatial decentralization, others show continued urban intensification, reflecting 
heterogeneous policy contexts and housing supply constraints. Importantly, access to remote-work opportunities 
is unevenly distributed across class, race, occupation, and geography, reinforcing existing socio-spatial inequalities 
and the digital divide. The study concludes that remote work is not merely a labor-market adjustment but a 
structural force reshaping urban form, transportation systems, and socio-economic stratification.