The homotopy type of the complement of a coordinate subspace arrangement

The homotopy type of the complement of a complex coordinate subspace arrangement is studied by utilising some connections between its topological and combinatorial structures. A family of arrangements for which the complement is homotopy equivalent to a wedge of spheres is described. One consequence is an application in commutative algebra: certain local rings are proved to be Golod, that is, all Massey products in their homology vanish.