Les espaces de coworking ont essaimé hors des grands centres urbains où ils ont été moins étudiés, malgré les espoirs de développement territorial fondés sur eux. À partir d’une enquête internationale attentive aux dimensions territoriale, collaborative et individuelle des entrepreneurs, on montre que ceux fréquentant les espaces hors métropole entretiennent des relations paradoxales avec leur territoire d’accueil. Les résultats ne concordent guère avec les analyses métropolitaines proposées par la littérature. Si le cadre de travail permettant de concilier qualité de vie et accès aux ressources numériques est plébiscité, la dimension collaborative interne reste en effet discrète tout comme les relations avec le milieu local ou les collectivités. Ce paradoxe s’explique par le profil et le parcours professionnel des entrepreneurs, rarement originaires de leur territoire d’implantation. L’impact de leur installation sur le développement local est notable mais ne saurait donc être surestimé.

Coworking spaces have spread outside the major urban centers where they have been less studied, despite the hopes for territorial development placed in them. Froma theoretical point of view, coworking spaces are understood by combining three dimensions (territorial, collaborative and individual) of entrepreneurship. The paper is based on an international survey. Our results show that entrepreneurswho attend coworking spaces outside metro areas highly appreciate primarily a working environment that combines residential amenities with access to digital resources and therefore makes it possible to find a better balance between quality of life and professional imperatives. However their links with the local business environment remain modest, as do the relationships with the local authorities. This paradoxical weak territorial embeddedness can be explained by the career path of these entrepreneurs, who rarely originate from the area where they are located and already had a network of contacts outside. As a result, the impact of their establishment on local development and the potential for territorial renewal based on the attraction of entrepreneurs by coworking spaces is significant but should not be overestimated outside the metropolis.