Third Places as Engines of Rural Revival from Creuse

Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, France – As part of the CASPER project’s continued commitment to exploring place-based policies that strengthen community resilience in shrinking rural areas, a key visit took place in the department of Creuse in central France. On 9 April 2024, delegates from CASPER partner regions toured two innovative "third places": L'Escalier and the Quincaillerie Numérique. These spaces offer a compelling model for rethinking how rural communities can adapt to social, economic, and demographic changes.

What Are Third Places? Third places refer to spaces beyond home (first place) and work (second place) where community members gather, interact, and collaborate. In rural areas, these spaces often double as innovation labs, cultural venues, and service providers. Their role in encouraging active citizenship, skill development, and local governance has made them a central focus for the CASPER initiative.

Visit Highlights Participants first visited L’Escalier, a third place deeply embedded in the life of Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat. The space offers coworking areas, workshops, cultural programming and serves as a catalyst for community-led initiatives. Delegates learned how this multi-functional hub fosters inclusion, creativity, and entrepreneurial energy.

Later in the day, the group explored Quincaillerie Numérique in Guéret, another third place that blends digital innovation with citizen services. From digital literacy training to youth engagement activities, the facility exemplifies how local infrastructure can be repurposed to meet modern rural challenges.

Key Learnings and Takeaways: The field visit offered rich insights for CASPER partners:

• Flexibility and multi-functionality are key to success. Both places adapt to diverse community needs over time.
• Trust-building is foundational. Citizens are more likely to participate when they feel ownership and safety in these spaces.
• Public-private-civic collaboration enhances sustainability. Local authorities, NGOs, and residents share responsibility in maintaining and animating third places.

Stakeholder Reflections Participants engaged in two structured workshops: the "Reverse Brainstorming" and the "Actor Sociogram" sessions. These activities helped surface new perspectives on mobilizing third places as inclusive tools for engagement and innovation. Several stakeholders noted that third places could act as informal service points in regions with limited administrative capacity.

Conclusion: The Creuse visit underscored that third places are more than physical locations; they are enablers of agency, creativity, and connection. In shrinking rural regions, these dynamic spaces represent not only a response to isolation but a proactive tool for resilience. CASPER partners left inspired to adapt these lessons in their territories, proving that with the right support, even small towns can be sites of big transformation.

Stay tuned as the CASPER project continues to spotlight local innovation driving Europe’s rural revival.