The Urban Integration of Coworking Spaces in France: The Case of the Loire Valley Region

The global number of coworking spaces (CSs) keeps increasing rapidly. This leads to question their role in the territorial economy, in the evolution of urban fabrics and for public policies. In France, this dynamic spans on the whole range of the urban system, from metropolitan areas to villages. The Loire Valley region is a particularly interesting observation laboratory: in this medium-sized region, the number of CSs increased from 2 in 2013 to 25 in 2017, and many projects are still emerging. The chapter is based on a qualitative set of methodologies: maps, direct observations and interviews with managers and coworkers. Interviews helped us to understand how such actors perceive the urban environment and what links they have to amenities or equipment that are present in a city. Our contribution aims to demonstrate the following results. The analysis of the urban insertion of CSs (architectural form, street environment, road signs, accessibility) provides information on the room for improvement of urban policies. The effects of CSs on urban regeneration seem limited, either today or in the medium term. In the Loire Valley region, local government did not see yet the CS as a possible tool for economic and/or urban development.