Third Places: Democratic Innovations and Transformation Dynamics at the Heart of Urban Territories

The sixth notebook of the Urban Solidarity Foundation

“The third places: democratic innovations and transformation dynamics at the heart of urban territories” is the sixth issue of a collection that brings together projects supported by the Urban Solidarity Foundation, where similarities or related issues allow for inspiring and useful lessons for urban social innovation actors (social landlords, associations, local authorities …).

This publication focuses on two experiments:

– “High school before high school, the Knowledge Third Place,” led by the association Le Plus Petit Cirque du Monde – “From the vegetable garden to the pot: shared gardens and sustainable food in Bondy,” led by the LAB3S association – Soils, Knowledge, Flavors

These two innovative projects have in common the invention and animation of new types of third places to meet the specific needs of urban territories, based on mechanisms of co-construction with residents, shared governance, citizen mobilization… One to prepare and prefigure the arrival of a future high school in Bagneux, a town that was previously without one, the other to respond to the need to imagine local, diverse, quality, and accessible food solutions for everyone in Bondy.

You will discover throughout these pages both the state of affairs and knowledge compiled by the two organizations, the practices they have implemented, and the lessons they draw from them.

Discover this notebook in digital version:

Experiments and research-actions: disseminate to inspire

This publication is part of an ambitious initiative aimed at inspiring urban social innovation actors by sharing the lessons from research-actions and experiments supported by the Urban Solidarity Foundation, the social landlords’ laboratory of the city of Paris. This approach has led to three complementary tools: the Urban Solidarity Foundation’s Notebooks, the podcast “Solidarity city, sustainable city,” and technical sheets on each supported project, promoting their replication.

To learn more about the experiments conducted by the associations Le Plus Petit Cirque du Monde and LAB3S – Soils, Knowledge, Flavors

Project “High school before high school – the Knowledge Third Place” – Association Le Plus Petit Cirque du Monde:

Project “From the vegetable garden to the pot: shared gardens and sustainable food in Bondy” – Association LAB3S – Soils, Knowledge, Flavors:

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