Where do you go when you’re not at home, work, or school, and you want a place to socialize with others? If you’re like many Americans, the answer might be “nowhere” — a lonely, but all-too-common reality. If you do have places that fit this description, it’s likely you pay a membership fee or are expected to make a purchase. You might hang out in a local coffee shop, browse a mall, or chat with buddies around the weight rack at your gym.
These places are called “third spaces,” and include any social environment where people of all walks of life can congregate. Folks can use the space in a variety of ways, including reading and chatting, and can generally come and go as they please. In many cities, third spaces also include community centers, public parks, libraries, and central squares. In much of Europe, for example, public funds are often used to create delightful, completely free third spaces throughout cities.
In the U.S., unfortunately, the vast majority of third spaces serve some kind of commercial purpose. If you can’t pay, you’re not welcome, and there can be a lot of limitations on how you’re allowed to act. There’s even an invented term in the U.S. for hanging out unwanted in public: the crime of “loitering.” In this article, you’ll learn why third spaces matter, and the consequences of eliminating or making them inaccessible.
1. Improve Public Health
Third spaces like parks can be a matter of public health, since not everyone lives close to a gym or can afford a membership. They can provide an accessible space for exercise, whether with gym equipment, sports, or just to walk around. Third spaces give sports teams, dance troupes, calisthenics practitioners, and yoga and Tai Chi enthusiasts space to practice their crafts. Exercise improves overall health, so these opportunities ultimately lower medical spending for all.
Unfortunately, many American third spaces don’t do a great job of supporting this kind of movement. Malls get too crowded to walk briskly, and parks and playgrounds can feel unsafe, out of the way, or lack necessary amenities, like restrooms. Public and private property owners, however, can do the work to try and turn this around. Think: office campuses with playground swings, centrally-located parks with sports courts, and community centers with all kinds of activities.
2. Protect Mental Health
Third spaces aren’t just important for improving physical health metrics, by providing a space for movement. They’re also absolutely vital to mental health, helping stave off social isolation and loneliness. For someone who has trouble making friends, a third space could be a path toward building a social network. They may not have anyone to call, but they know they can always show up at the park, town square, or community center and feel less alone.
For someone with depression or other mental health issues, these kinds of loose social connections can be deeply significant, or even life-saving. Research has shown that “weak ties” — like the neighbors you say hi to — could have a very real impact on well-being. Spending time outside the home (or better, in the sunlight) and engaging in movement in third spaces can also contribute positively to mental health.
3. Promote Safety and Inclusion
An obvious benefit of effective third spaces is that people with nowhere else to go can congregate there. For example, LGBTQ+ folks whose families don’t approve of their sexual orientation can meet their partners in a third space. People with limited financial means or those facing domestic violence can head to a third space when they need somewhere safe to go. In this way, third spaces function as a vital safety net for marginalized members of the community.
Relationships formed in third spaces can lead to networking opportunities or help people in need access vital community resources. For instance, a nonbinary person hanging out in a third space might stumble upon an LGBTQ+ activist group. Or, an abuse survivor might make a new friend who’s been through a similar situation. In both cases, the connections they form could create new opportunities or help them access mental and physical health resources.
4. Build a Better Community
As mentioned previously, a well-designed third space also allows people of different backgrounds and walks of life to cross paths. In the best of cases, that means it can help people form genuine connections with folks they might not otherwise have met. People who hold close-minded opinions of others might develop more empathy for people from other cultures and backgrounds. Over time, exposure to diverse groups of people can break down social barriers.
However, the benefits of drawing people from all kinds of backgrounds aren’t exclusively social. There are also direct economic benefits to building inclusive, vibrant, affordable or free third spaces. Because these spaces are accessible to all kinds of people, they can increase tourist and local traffic through previously undesirable neighborhoods. In the long-run, this can lead to a revitalized, economically flourishing neighborhood where people come to hang out and spend.
Bringing Third Spaces Home
America has a long way to go for its third spaces to match the hybrid playground-cafes and central squares of other countries. In places like Europe and South America, many people are accustomed to gathering daily in public third spaces. In Buenos Aires, groups of friends meet in parks to share a mate, sing songs, and talk politics. In Barcelona, bars overlook playgrounds, so parents can chat and make friends while their kids run around.
Still, there might be hope yet: Cities like New York are adding public restrooms, to make parks and outdoor spaces more appealing. Others, like Philadelphia, are building new community and recreation centers to promote well-being and public health. Even companies like Starbucks are developing policies that allow non-paying individuals to just sit and chat. With time and understanding of the benefits, there could be more free and accessible third spaces to come.
