Base Commune

3 founders, 2 employees, 1 intern, and 1 apprentice

Base Commune was launched in 2021 by Plateau Urbain (a cooperative specializing in transitional urbanism) and Sens de la Ville (a cooperative focused on urban strategy, project programming, and project engineering) along with their founders. Today, Bertrand Doucet, the Director of Operations, leads the activities of the real estate cooperative. His background as an engineer-architect, combined with extensive experience in real estate project development, enables him to oversee the cooperative’s operations. He is supported by Sarah Fryde, Project Manager, who brings a dual background in Urban Planning and Real Estate to manage the cooperative’s development and territorial studies. Additionally, Johanne Mélinand and Maëva Rôle contribute as an alternating student and an end-of-study intern, respectively. Thanks to the complementary skills of its parent entities, Base Commune benefits from Plateau Urbain’s expertise in site commercialization and management and Sens de la Ville’s skills in urban and real estate programming, active base programming, project management, and operational setups.

Bertrand Doucet

Operations Director

Sarah Fryde

Project Manager

Simon Laisney

Chairman of the Executive Board, Founder of Plateau Urbain

Flore Trautmann

Member of the Executive Board, Co-founder of Sens de la Ville

Vincent Josso

Member of the Supervisory Board, Co-founder of Sens de la Ville

There is a gradual decline in the vitality of downtown businesses: small shops can no longer afford to stay in urban centers due to high rents. As a result, the balance is shifting between standardization through large franchises in the most attractive locations and vacancies where commercial criteria are not met, jeopardizing social connections and urban vitality. Additionally, there is a growing exclusion of Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE), cultural, and associative activities from city centers, despite these sectors contributing 10% of France's GDP and having a strong local presence and impact (CRESS, 2023). In a context where local authorities face multiple challenges—such as real estate pressure, maintaining public services, and urban decline—SSE, cultural, and associative activities often present an appealing alternative by leveraging local resources and offering innovative economic models and uses. Unfortunately, access to real estate is essential for starting any activity, and alternative economy actors face numerous obstacles, starting with real estate speculation.

As a real estate cooperative, Base Commune targets actors who struggle to find a place in the city in order to develop to their activities. The cooperative acquires ground-floor spaces and makes them available to social utility actors to revitalize city centers. These spaces are accessible, with discounted, progressive rents tailored to the activity and income level of each project holder. This is made possible through close collaboration with local authorities, public planners, and private developers (who commit to better integrating such activities into their projects), facilitating access to preferential conditions. Base Commune is deeply committed to working closely with other solidarity-based real estate cooperatives, which operate in both urban and rural contexts. This is why it co-founded the network "On met en commun"  in partnership with Villages Vivants, Bellevilles, La Main, Bien Commun, and La Foncière Nouvelle Aquitaine. This network aims to benefit from the experiences of each organization and to strengthen the essential role of solidarity-based real estate cooperatives in today’s real estate landscape.

Base Commune is a real estate and property cooperative offering three primary services: acquisition of ground-floor spaces, strategic programming advice for ground-floor, and ground-floor management and activation. The cooperative funds itself through long-term revenue from rents, as well as short-term income from project setup and monitoring fees, as well as commercialization fees for spaces (when handled directly). It also provides consulting and study services to third parties, which enabled it to generate €345,000 in revenue in 2023. The company primarily focuses on acquiring new properties through Sale in Future State of Completion (VEFA). This early-stage acquisition strategy allows Base Commune to negotiate the lowest possible purchase prices, enabling it to offer accessible rents below market rates. Currently, Base Commune is pursuing the acquisition of five ground floor spaces in highly attractive yet financially challenging urban areas: 140 m² in downtown Malakoff (acquisition completed), 1010 m² in the former APHP headquarters near City Hall in the 4th arrondissement of Paris (promise signed), 860 m² at Porte de la Villette in the 19th arrondissement of Paris (promise pending signature), 750 m² in Lyon Confluence (upcoming sales promise setup), 1500 m² in the base of the iconic CIRC tower in the Grange Blanche district of Lyon (promise of sale to be established soon). Base Commune is also engaged in negotiations or awaiting responses for other properties in the context of developer consultations.

The purpose of Base Commune addresses both social and economic challenges through: 

- Ensuring Accessibility: Providing ground-floor spaces with solidarity-based rents (up to three times cheaper than the market), with progressive and differentiated pricing based on the financial capacity of the occupants. All these spaces have a social impact or serve a local utility. 

- Revitalizing City Centers: Reinvigorating urban centers through local and proximity-based initiatives, such as bakeries, grocery stores, and health facilities. 

- Creating a new Ecosystem and Neighborhood community: Developing a new ecosystem and fostering a neighborhood community that meets the needs of the local area.