“My commute is killing me!” are words you probably utter far too often if you work from a downtown Chicago office space.
For the vast population of people who live in the suburbs and drive to the city, there is only one adjective to describe sitting in traffic: misery. According to Robert Putnam, Harvard political scientist and author of Bowling Alone, over the last 20 years, the average commuting trip grew 37% longer. He also noted that each additional ten minutes spent in daily commuting interferes with family and social activity by 10%, you know, the sort of things that make us happy.
The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index found that 40% of workers who spend 90 or more minutes commuting one-way “experienced worry for much of the previous day,” compared to the 28% who commute less than 10 minutes one-way.
The epidemic of the commute has especially affected residents of Chicago suburbs who work in the city. According to the Census Bureau, 14% of Chicago’s workers have an hour-long commute, the highest rate in the Midwest. Texas A&M Transportation Institute ranked Chicago as having “one of the nation’s most unpredictable commutes.”
What’s the Solution?
So, what’s a Chicago-area suburbanite to do? Chicago is still one of the most affordable major cities in the country to both live and work. Workers with families are attracted to the picket-fence life for obvious reasons.
A big house with a driveway, guest room and fireplace provide a kind of comfort that no apartment can. A sprawling living room is a great place for family gatherings and nothing beats a backyard BBQ, yet the question begs, are these surplus amenities worth it? Economists at the University of Zurich reported in their study “Stress That Doesn’t Pay: The Commuting Paradox” that “for an extra hour of commuting time, you would need to be compensated with a massive 40 percent increase in salary to make it worthwhile.”
Making things easier is the fact there are numerous office spaces dedicated to small and medium-sized businesses available in the surrounding Chicago suburbs. In South Barrington, there are co-working spaces that start around $350 per month. In Lincolnshire, executive suites come with full amenities such as secretarial support, internet, and conferences rooms and start around $750 per month. There’s ample availability at the Orrington Plaza Business Center in Evanston. In Schaumburg, there is a wide variety of office space on East Golf Road that starts around $600 per month and includes internet, conference rooms and a full kitchen.
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