Developing third places for a more desirable future

Friday, 27 May 2022

POUR LA SOLIDARITÉ-PLS and its partners in the Place-3T project met on 28 and 29 April 2022 at Area071 (Leiderdorp, The Netherlands) to review the project's activities and to set the next steps. Mark your calendars for upcoming public events!

Area071 - the place where the Dutch partners of the Places-3T project hosted this meeting - covers 800m2 in a former industrial building that has been refurbished according to the needs and tastes of the current occupants. A place of the third type, Area071 welcomes both entrepreneurs in their start-up activities, more regular members looking for flexible spaces and also projects, notably in collaboration with the University of Leiden.

During this transnational meeting, the partners each presented the scenarios they are working on to design future educational capsules called "mini-COOLs". The partners then stressed the need to focus on the social impact of third places through recruitment policy, environmental impact considerations, culture as a tool to prevent exclusion and sharing experiences with other places and networks. Also, it emerged that third places must be efficient and attractive and entrepreneurship is both a requirement and an outcome of these places. Once completed, the "mini-COOL" capsules will constitute the methodology for the support of the creation, animation and sustainability of places of the third type. Then, the "pilot actions" of the project (currently under consideration) will be the opportunity to implement the methodology and the tools for supporting the actors in a "real" experience.

The Places-3T partnership invites any third type structure across Europe to take a moment to talk about their place, and to become part of a network of spaces for the exchange of knowledge, practices and ideas. To do so, simply complete the short form available on the project's website.

Finally, SAVE THE DATE(S)! Two public meetings are to be noted in your diary to learn more about third places and the Places-3T project.

The first event will be organised by FREREF and will take place in Lyon on 20 and 21 September 2022, at the same time as the opening of the third place Manu'Village.

A second event, dedicated more broadly to the challenges of third places, will be organised by POUR LA SOLIDARITÉ-PLS in Brussels on Tuesday 22 November 2022 in the premises of PLS/Smart (KOP Room, Rue Coenraets 72).

To pre-book your place from now on, contact PLS!