Third places are part of the social and solidarity economy, and have been the focus of SSE experts' attention for some years now. In this study, POUR LA SOLIDARITÉ-PLS, commissioned by the Agence Nationale de la Cohésion des Territoires (ANCT), conducts a comparative analysis of some twenty European third-places: how they operate differently, the diversity of their activities and the issues they face.

Indeed, the term “third places” covers a whole range of locations, activities and issues. Neither a place to live nor a place to work, they are neutral spaces, open to all. Behind this diversity, however, they share fundamental characteristics. Often born of bottom-up initiatives, and increasingly numerous on the European continent, they form networks and are bearers of economic, ecological, digital, energy and food transitions. Third places operate on the basis of democratic governance, promoting citizen empowerment and citizenship-building.