We turned to Jeff Green, retail real estate feasibility consultant, to get his thoughts on the alternative workspace movement. He told us coworking spaces are fueling and shaping a new generation of emerging urban landscapes.

"As a new creative and entrepreneurial class grows larger among Millennials and among the population of professionals without work in the wake of the last recession, communal hubs are growing in popularity—and they have a huge impact on the surrounding urban landscape," Green says. "Alternative workspaces live among a vibrant mix of local retail boutiques, pop-ups, chef-driven restaurant concepts and trendy national retailers."

Green's bottom line: While it nurtures the surrounding commercial real estate that this population craves, alternative workspace has the potential to be a disruptive force for office property leasing as more freelancers and entrepreneurs seek alternative workplaces that offer collaboration in a flexible office environment.