Émergence de dynamiques entrepreneuriales au sein d’espaces de coworking pour entrepreneurs culturels et créatifs

Abstract

This article aims at studying the contributions of coworking spaces for cultural and creative entrepreneurs. Can these spaces support the emergence of cultural and creative entrepreneurial dynamics? The analysis is based on a qualitative study of 22 coworking spaces occupied by cultural and creative entrepreneurs and concentrated in the same urban area of the city of Nantes (France). This study relies on the theory of proximity to carry out an analysis of the internal social networks of these spaces. This analysis shows that the spatial proximity provided by these spaces is combined with the organized proximity of entrepreneurs. Thanks to this combination, coworking spaces become creative ecosystems. Besides responding to a real estate and social need of cultural and creative entrepreneurs, coworking spaces are the place of collaborative networks that support the emergence of entrepreneurial dynamics. This support is manifested through collective learning networks and market collaborations that foster the development of cultural and creative entrepreneurs' projects.