Les tiers-lieux en France : quelle place pour les zones hors métropole ?

Abstract

The article aims to explain the relative concentration of third places by travel-to-work area (TTWA) in France. The literature focuses on metropolises, whereas our mapping shows that third places weigh relatively less in large metro areas than elsewhere, challenging the dominant discourse. We hypothesize that third places are proportionally more numerous in economically depressed and/or landlocked TTWAs where they meet the specific needs of new self-employed workers. We carry out a typological analysis in order to highlight the extent to which spatial features explain the location of third places. We demonstrate that third places are not exclusively a metropolitan phenomenon and stress strong variations within France, which are interpreted from long-term historical legacies in an evolutionary theoretical perspective.

Keywords

• third space
• spatial distribution
• spatial analysis
• modelling
• historical legacies