Plateau Urbain

What Plateau Urbain does

Plateau Urbain is a French cooperative (Société Coopérative d'Intérêt Collectif, forme anonyme à capital variable, SCIC SA) founded in 2013 by Simon Laisney and headquartered in Paris. It operates transitional and temporary urban spaces — "third places" (tiers-lieux) — that re-activate vacant buildings across Île-de-France, Lyon, Bordeaux, and Marseille, offering affordable workspaces to artists, artisans, associations, social and solidarity economy organizations, and, in selected sites such as Les Grandes Voisines, emergency housing operators. Since inception it has opened more than 50 third places totaling over 60,000 m² and serves approximately 12,000 registered users through its self-service platform at plateforme.plateau-urbain.com. Governance is multi-stakeholder: employees, partners, occupants, and financial supporters hold shares as sociétaires and participate in general assemblies.

The core technology is a web-based marketplace/operations platform for space discovery and application management, complemented by venue operations and on-site project management. Service lines include (1) temporary occupation agreements priced as redevances of €48–€420 per m² per year depending on location and space type, bundling utilities, maintenance, common spaces, and project management; (2) consulting and feasibility studies for municipalities, public institutions, and private developers on transitional urbanism; (3) full-cycle project development and management; and (4) venue hire for events, conferences, and film shoots. The go-to-market is hybrid: a community-led call-for-applications model on the platform for prospective tenants, paired with direct enterprise sales to property owners (Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Mairie de Courbevoie, SPL Marne Au Bois, OFI, Giboire & Galia, COVIVIO) and partnerships with social-housing and channel partners such as Base Commune, MADELUS, and IMBRIK. Marquee projects include Les Grandes Voisines (22,000 m², Lyon), Le BOB (70+ structures, Villeurbanne), La Roche (40+ tenants, Paris 14e), Magma (11,650 m², Arcueil), Dédale (8,200 m², Fontenay-sous-Bois), Elmer (3,200 m², Paris 19e), Censure (Paris 5e), Pixel (6,000 m², Courbevoie, opened February 2026), and the Saint-Lazare Chapel programming in Paris 10e (June–September 2026).

Name

Plateau Urbain

Legal name

Plateau Urbain - société coopérative d'intérêt collectif de forme société anonyme à conseil de surveillance et à capital variable

Website

https://plateau-urbain.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Plateau Urbain is a French cooperative (SCIC SA) that operates 50+ transitional urban workspaces (third places) across France, providing affordable temporary-occupation offices and workshops to artists, associations, and social/solidarity-economy organizations, plus consulting for property owners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Transitional Urban Real Estate Services

NAICS

Services to Buildings and Dwellings (5617)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

Keywords

• Transitional urban planning
• Affordable workspace rental
• Social real estate
• Temporary occupation
• Third place management

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Workspace Rental Revenue: Plateau Urbain generates revenue through temporary occupation agreements for workspaces. Occupants pay redevances (contribution charges) that cover fluids (water, electricity, heating, internet), maintenance, access to common spaces and meeting rooms, and project management and animation. Pricing is based on square meter rates ranging from €48 to €420 per m² per year depending on location and space type.
2. Consulting and Support Services: The cooperative provides consultancy services to local governments, developers, landlords, and community groups for designing and implementing transitional and temporary urban planning projects. This includes project development and management, studies, and venue hire services.
3. Venue Privatization: Spaces are available for private hire for events such as fashion shows, conferences, film shoots, and corporate events, providing additional revenue through one-time rental arrangements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Plateau Urbain is a cooperative that activates temporarily vacant buildings across major French cities and rents affordable workspaces to artists, artisans, associations, and social economy organizations under temporary occupation agreements (redevances). It also operates a web-based platform for workspace discovery and applications, and offers consulting, project development, and venue hire services to local governments, developers, and property owners.

Product overview

Plateau Urbain operates as a cooperative offering a portfolio of transitional urban planning services centered on affordable third places across France (Île-de-France, Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille). Its core offerings consist of a web-based space discovery and application platform, a network of managed third-place venues (Pixel, Magma, Dédale, La Roche, Elmer, Les Grandes Voisines, Césure, Le Bob, and others), and consultancy services including project development, strategic studies, and venue hire. These offerings work together as an end-to-end solution: the platform connects users to available spaces, the managed venues provide affordable workspaces for creative and social economy actors, and the consultancy arm supports public and private clients in designing and operating their own transitional urban initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Affordable Workspace Rental (Tiers-Lieux) Managed transitional workspaces offered to artists, artisans, associations, social economy organizations, and independents under temporary occupation agreements (redevances) covering utilities, maintenance, common areas, and project management. Available across 50+ third places in Île-de-France, Lyon, Bordeaux, and Marseille.
• Urban Planning Consultancy Services Advisory and support services for local governments, developers, landlords, and community groups designing and implementing transitional and temporary urban planning projects and third-place initiatives across France.
• Project Development & Management Full-cycle project development and management services for transitional urban planning initiatives, including setup, governance, and ongoing operational support for property owners and public institutions.
• Consulting and Studies Strategic consulting and feasibility studies to help organizations define and implement transitional urban planning strategies at metropolitan and local scales.
• Venue Hire (Privatisation) Rental of unique third-place venues for one-off events including fashion shows, conferences, film shoots, and corporate events.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50+ third places opened since 2013
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Grand Lyon MétropolecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020In 2020, Plateau Urbain partnered with Intermède and Grand Lyon Métropole to help the metropolitan area move beyond initial temporary occupation experiments and define a transitional urbanism strategy at the scale of the entire metropolis. The initiative aims to evaluate impacts and concrete benefits of such projects through practice while fostering collective learning.
• IntermèdecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Plateau Urbain and Grand Lyon Métropole on defining transitional urbanism strategy for the Lyon metropolitan area since 2020.
• Foyer Notre-Dame des Sans AbricoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost organization at Les Grandes Voisines in Francheville (Lyon). Manages 5 emergency shelters and work integration programs. Partners with Plateau Urbain to diversify site activities, open it to external users, and create a mixed solidarity third place combining housing, activity spaces, and public reception.
• Fondation Armée du SalutcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost organization at Les Grandes Voisines. Provides social housing and employment integration services. Partners with Plateau Urbain to create a mixed-use facility combining emergency accommodation with affordable workspaces and community programming.
• Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC)majorOthersPublic financial institution owning property managed by Plateau Urbain. CDC properties like Magma in Arcueil (11,650m²) are part of Plateau Urbain's portfolio of transitional urbanism projects.
• Hospices Civils de LyonmajorOthersPublic hospital system in Lyon that owns the former Antoine Charial hospital site where Les Grandes Voisines is located. Partnership enables 22,000m² of mixed-use temporary occupation.
• SPL Marne Au BoismajorOthersLocal public development company managing property at Dédale in Fontenay-sous-Bois (8,200m² building).
• Mairie de CourbevoiemajorOthersMunicipality owning the Pixel site in Courbevoie (6,000m²) opened February 2026, hosting approximately 30 artists, artisans, associations, and social economy organizations for four years.
• OFImajorOthersProperty owner of Elmer site in Paris 19th arrondissement along Canal Saint-Denis (3,200m²), home to 70 facilities.
• Giboire and GaliamajorOthersPrivate property owners of La Roche in Paris 14th arrondissement (4,229m²), now hosting more than 40 tenant organizations.
• COVIVIOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReal estate company for whom Plateau Urbain and IMBRIK market workshop and commercial spaces at CAP 18, a large business park within Paris.
• IMBRIKminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMarketing partner working with Plateau Urbain on behalf of COVIVIO to market spaces at CAP 18 business park.
• MADELUSminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner for the exclusive sale of workshops, offices, and commercial spaces in Ivry-sur-Seine project.
• Base CommuneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial housing organization issuing calls for expressions of interest for spaces dedicated to social impact activities in Paris 13th arrondissement, with Plateau Urbain facilitating the process.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Deskeo: Deskeo is a French premium flexible-workspace operator (now part of IWG) offering offices, coworking, and meeting rooms across Paris and major French cities. It represents the premium commercial segment that sits at the upper-pricing tier relative to Plateau Urbain's affordable workspace model.
• Wojo: Wojo (formerly Nextdoor) is a French coworking and flexible-office joint venture backed by Icade, Accor, and Colony, with locations across France. It is a well-capitalised commercial incumbent competing in adjacent workspace segments to Plateau Urbain.
• Morning Coworking: Morning Coworking is a French coworking operator with multiple Paris locations targeting independents and small teams. Although commercial in structure, it serves overlapping occupant profiles including freelancers and small associations that Plateau Urbain also targets at its lower-priced third places.
• Multiburo: Multiburo is one of France's largest flexible-office and coworking operators with a national footprint in Paris, Lyon, and other major cities. While operating on a commercial rather than cooperative model, it overlaps with Plateau Urbain in the broader French flexible-workspace market and competes for some premium occupier segments.

Emerging players

• La Cordée: La Cordée is a French cooperative (SCIC) that operates shared workspaces across multiple French cities with a social-inclusion focus. It is comparable to Plateau Urbain as an emerging cooperative player in affordable workspace, though smaller in footprint and urbanism scope.
• Mains d'Œuvres: Mains d'Œuvres is an alternative cultural and workspace third place in Saint-Ouen focused on artistic and digital creation. It is comparable to Plateau Urbain as a smaller-scale tier-lieu operating with a similar mixed-use temporary-occupation model in the Île-de-France region.

Direct peers

• La Halle Tropisme: Halle Tropisme is a Montpellier-based third place operated by a SCIC on a former industrial site, hosting artists, social-economy organisations, and creative enterprises. It mirrors Plateau Urbain's tier-lieu model in a different regional city with similar temporary-occupation economics.
• Yes We Camp: Yes We Camp is a French cooperative (SCIC) operating transitional third places across the Mediterranean basin, with projects in Marseille, Bordeaux, and Saint-Denis. It is the closest pure structural and ideological peer to Plateau Urbain in social-purpose tier-lieu operation and temporary urbanism.
• La Friche la Belle de Mai: La Friche la Belle de Mai is a long-standing cultural and creative third place housed in a former tobacco factory in Marseille. It operates a similar temporary-occupation, mixed-use model combining cultural programming, workspace, and community activities—directly comparable to Plateau Urbain's flagship third-place projects.
• Le 6b: Le 6b is a third place in Saint-Denis operating in temporary occupation of vacant industrial premises, hosting cultural associations, artists, and social-economy structures. It is directly comparable to Plateau Urbain's smaller-scale tier-lieu projects in the greater Paris region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/plateau.urbain
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/plateau-urbain
• Instagraminstagram.com/plateau.urbain
• TikToktiktok.com/@plateau.urbain
• Xx.com/PlateauUrbain

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Plateau Urbain