Why Third Places Are Essential to Creating Community in Modern Society

In life, we spend a lot of our time either at home or at work—or school if we’re a student. But what about all the other places we hang out when we’re not at these two places? Often referred to as ‘third places’ these are the spaces we occupy when we’re socializing with friends or relatives, or enjoying time on our own but in the presence of other people.

These third places can be many and varied. They may include theaters, gyms, cafes, bars, parks, libraries, places of worship, or friends’ houses where everyone spends the most time.

Third places are essential, as they can help alleviate feelings of boredom and loneliness, and are key to fostering a sense of community—it’s particularly important in an era where we’re experiencing a crisis of connection.

Unfortunately, the prevalence of the third place is in decline. There are many reasons for this, including the rising costs of living, car dependency, and the ease at which we can now do so many things at home, straight from our computer. So, how do we sustain them, and what might the future of third places be?

The Third Place Defined

The term ‘third place’ comes from the idea that the home is our ‘first place’ and our workplace is our ‘second place.’ So then, the other places we might go to socialize or unwind become ‘third places.’ Kasley Killam, MPH, Harvard-trained social scientist and author of The Art and Science of Connectiondescribes them as “essential community resources and places where friends, family, and neighbors can meet, spend time together, and engage in civic life.”

The importance of third places is shown by their presence in many forms of popular media. Many classic sitcoms, for example, revolve around third places—think of the classic TV show Friends, where the characters would hang out at the coffee shop, Central Perk in almost every episode, or Cheers, which was set in the bar of the same name.

Why Third Places Matter

From fostering creativity to building community, third places have lots of benefits.

“Third places play an important role in our lives by offering a break from the demands of work-home life,” explains Elena Touroni, PhD, a consultant psychologist and co-founder of The Chelsea Psychology Clinic. “They help us maintain a healthy work-life balance, providing spaces where we can relax, enjoy ourselves, and engage with different types of people.”

Dr Touroni also emphasizes how third places can give us a sense of connection, which is important for our well-being and our happiness. As she says, “Being part of a community and feeling connected is essential for good mental health. It reduces feelings of loneliness, boosts our mood, and can even increase our self-esteem.”

Third places can be supportive environments for diverse groups, too, bringing people together and fostering a sense of community when they might otherwise be isolated or lack connections with people from similar backgrounds or in similar situations. Likewise, because everybody tends to be level in third places, they can be great places to network and increase social capital—the relationships and networks that help us progress in the world.

Third places give us a release from the stressors of modern life when it can be difficult to set boundaries between home and work. They give us the chance to change up our environments, something that Dr Touroni says can not only increase our productivity but boost our mood too.

“By interacting with a wider range of people, or even just allowing us to be around others, third places can help us develop a sense of belonging,” she adds. “This is especially important in today’s fast-paced world, where loneliness and social isolation are on the rise.”

Types of Third Places

With the definition of third places being quite broad, there are lots of different types. However, the following are among the most common:

• Cafes and coffee shops
• Shopping malls
• Barber shops and hair salons
• Bowling alleys and arcades
• Libraries and bookstores
• Bars and pubs
• Community centers and clubs
• Gyms and health clubs
• Places of worship
• Theatres and opera houses
• Parks
• Virtual third places

Creating and Sustaining Third Places

“City officials, architects, designers, and others who build and maintain third places have a responsibility to ensure that they are safe, accessible, and useful,” says Killam. And Dr Touroni recommends advocating for policies and initiatives that will protect them, encouraging businesses and your local government to invest in them too.

So, what else can we do to help sustain third places ourselves?

“On a more personal level,” says Dr Touroni, “Engaging with these places – by participating in events, being open to conversations, and connecting with people – helps sustain their role as important community hubs.”

Similarly, Killam says that we need to take care of our shared spaces, as well as organizing activities there and taking part in gatherings. “Third places can transform a neighborhood into a welcoming home, but only if we take ownership of them,” she explains. 

It can be difficult. With work, caring responsibilities, and just the errands and chores of day-to-day life, finding the time to visit third places isn’t always easy. Similarly, finding the money to spend in third places can be tricky, particularly if you need to spend money on fuel or public transport to get there. Even if people would love to spend more time in third places, it can be easier said than done. 

This is partly why many third places are finding it more difficult to survive. However, there are some things that third places can do to help themselves. Successful third places are those that promote active, rather than passive interaction, and where people are welcome to drop in, linger, and make conversation with others, whether they know them well or not. 

The Future of Third Places

Dr Touroni explains, “As we saw in the pandemic, if third places continue to decline, we may see an increase in loneliness. This could end up having very negative effects on our mental health.”

She says that a lack of spaces like these can exacerbate feelings of isolation and even contribute to mental health conditions like depression and anxiety. 

Third places have helped play an important role in our lives gradually getting back to normal since the COVID-19 pandemic, too. Many of us are able to work remotely at least some of the time, and working from a third place like a library or a coffee shop can be a happy medium between going into the office and working at home in isolation. However, this does mean that some of our third places can be filled with people who, while physically present, aren’t interacting with one another.

Arnault Morisson, PhD, an economic geographer, wrote in 2018 that there are now ‘fourth places’ too. He suggested that the rise in new social environments means that we’re blurring the lines between the first, second, and third places. For example, aspects of both the first and third places are combined when we work remotely from a coffee shop, or head to a coworking space.
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One challenge facing third places is that there can be disparities in their availability. Places with higher poverty rates, in the US at least, are likely to have fewer third places, as are places with higher Black and Hispanic populations and more rural areas.3

Keep in Mind

Third places have lots of benefits, giving us spaces away from home and work to relax, unwind, and meet people—whether you want to read a book or enjoy a coffee on your own, or you’ve planned an evening of drinks with friends. 

But, they are under threat. We need to utilize the third places in our communities as much as we can, whether that’s just by visiting when we have a spare couple of hours, or more actively organizing events in them. It’s so easy to get weighed down by work and the demands of modern life – third places give us some valuable respite and help us foster a sense of community.

It might be unrealistic to expect us to spend hours in third places every day, but even just short amounts of time when we’re able to can go a long way.