Problem addressed

In 2013, Simon Laisney observed a structural vacancy in the property market. Indeed, nearly 4 million square metres of office space stood empty in the Île-de-France region, 800,000 of which had been vacant for more than five years and were therefore off the market. He then came up with the idea of prioritising the utility value of these premises over their market value, thereby saving owners unnecessary expenses (maintenance, security, insurance and taxes).

Innovative solution

Plateau Urbain is a cooperative specialising in social housing and transitional and temporary urban planning, offering affordable workspaces and, where possible, emergency accommodation solutions in vibrant, creative and community-focused third places with a social purpose, in the Île-de-France region and in several major cities (Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille). It also provides consultancy and support services throughout France.

Support
Plateau Urbain’s services go beyond simply providing affordable workspaces. Whether you are a local authority, a developer, a landlord or a community group, we support you in designing your transitional and temporary urban planning projects, and ensure the successful implementation of your third-place initiatives.

Setting up and managing third places
We manage and oversee fixed-term third-place projects from start to finish: leasing, bringing the premises up to standard, technical and administrative management, events and activities, programming, security and building maintenance.

Consultancy and studies
We support local authorities, property owners and community groups in setting up their projects involving temporary occupation, transitional urban planning and third places. Taking into account the specific characteristics of the sites, ecosystems and areas under consideration, the support we offer is based on a bespoke methodology.

A platform for making premises available

Plateau Urbain offers a platform to publicise your calls for applications and connect you with the 12,000 organisations registered on the platform that are looking for affordable workspaces.

Spaces available for private hire

Plateau Urbain's network of third places offers a wide range of spaces available for private hire for one-off events.

Key results and benefits

Since 2013, Plateau Urbain has been involved in setting up and managing around fifty third-place projects.

Potential for mainstreaming

Plateau Urbain offers premises in the Île-de-France region and in several major cities (Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille). It also provides consultancy and support services throughout France.

Plateau Urbain is a laureate of the 2017–2018 cohort of the P'INS scale-up support programme, jointly run by Fondation Macif and Avise.