Feasibility Study on the Establishment of a Third Place and a Pilot Phase as a Strategy for Revitalizing a Downtown Site

To support the Trichon Urban Farmers collective, Plateau Urbain conducted a feasibility study to define the conditions for the temporary and long-term occupation of the former 7,500-square-meter university building located in downtown Roubaix.  On the vacant lot across the street, a self-harvesting urban farm is the subject of an experiment supported by local authorities. This experiment thus makes it possible to envision the development of a third-place project centered on food and education as part of the building’s complete renovation.
During the project, Plateau Urbain contributed its expertise in legal and economic structuring to envision a pilot phase followed by the project’s long-term sustainability, in collaboration with ParteNord’s services and the architecture firm Atelier MA, which was simultaneously commissioned to develop the building’s overall program. The study concludes by highlighting the need to mobilize local stakeholders to bring the project to fruition and the value of devising an innovative financial structure with the social housing provider, which owns the site.