2023-09-05 16:25:34
It is in the old building of Coop Alsace, the late Strasbourg distribution cooperative company, that the third place Kaléidoscoop opened its doors in early 2023. In this 3,000 m2 wasteland perfectly preserved and carefully transformed, the former spaces of storage have given way to offices, a shop, a café… Around twenty entities and around sixty people share this 120-year-old place.
“Entrepreneurs, employees, students, job seekers… We wanted to create a varied space, welcoming different audiences”advances Jean-Maxime Renck, co-director, in the interior hall overhung by a passageway. “Because more than sharing a space, the goal is to pool resources and skills. »
882 million turnover in France
The Kaléisdoscoop is now one of the 3,500 third places in France. Figures of the social and solidarity economy, these spaces are experiencing a real boom: according to figures made public on September 4 by the public interest group France tiers-lieux, their number has doubled in five years. Their economic weight has tripled since 2021 and reached 882 million euros in turnover for the year.
A concept created at the end of the 20th century by the American sociologist Ray Oldenburg, third places are hybrid in nature and therefore difficult to define. Workshops, shared offices, places for associations… The list of activities, commercial or otherwise, that take place there is long, as is that of their legal form or their economic model.
In the wake of coworking and teleworking
In urban areas, their recent growth follows that of shared workspaces (coworking) and telecommuting. For the philosopher Gabrielle Halpern, who is interested in the notion of“hybridization”the third place must not be a “ simple juxtaposition of different activities in the same place, but a real space for sharing. It must precisely break the categorization of activities”. A challenge met at the Kaléisdoscoop: “This desire to create a link remains the first criterion for the structures that contact us”rejoices Agathe Binnert, co-pilot of the project.
Behind the Strasbourg station, in the old buildings of the SNCF technicentre, the Grenze is defined precisely by this social and human objective. Here, no computers or teleworkers, but music, beers and deckchairs: the third place offers a concert hall and hosts associations. “We wanted to create a multi-generational place, a citizen village mixing cultures”, shares Julie Goulon, co-founder. As at Grenze, half of French third places offer cultural activities: in all, they should welcome 13 million visitors this year.
Boosting territories
For his part, Jean Karinthi has chosen to carry out his project, the Hermitage, in the heart of the Aisne, in a village of 700 inhabitants, where his family is from. Like this one, a third of French third places are located in rural areas. “Laboratory of citizen and eco-responsible initiatives”it hosts a micro-farm, local SMEs, associations… The objective? « Promote the emergence and implementation of high-impact rural projects. »
Founded with a ” group of friends “ in 2017, the Hermitage now welcomes around thirty employees and 200 volunteers on a daily basis. Funded through “a fundraising of €100,000 on Ulule and a bank loan of €150,000”it achieves a turnover of approximately 2 million euros per year.
« We work little by little with craftsmen, farmers… The goal is to be a local development engine”he explains, while acknowledging that“At first, it wasn’t easy: people here didn’t really understand the project or its objectives. Six years later, a good part of the way has been done”.
“Third places create a dynamic of cooperation in a territory»concludes Denis Dementhon, managing director of France Active, which participates in the financing of certain third places. “Their role weighs all the more in areas deserted by markets or services, such as in the countryside, because they offer activities, encourage innovation and confront social actors. It is a model for the future. »
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25,000 direct jobs
To finance their creation, the majority of third places mainly use equity and public subsidies (State, local authorities).
Their economic model is then based on this aid, contributions or even the rental of space. According to France tiers-lieux, their average turnover has increased in two years from 100,000 to 250,000 €, which is the equivalent of the turnover of a start-up.
The 3,500 third places present in France host a total of nearly 50,000 structures (associations, cooperatives, companies, etc.). This also represents nearly 25,000 direct jobs – four times more than in 2021 – as well as 137,000 volunteers.
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