When talking about loneliness and human connection so called „third places“ often come up. The term was first coined by Ray Oldenburg who defined first places (home), second places (work) and finally the idea of third places, which he defines as spaces for „informal, free social interaction“, for example libraries, cafés, restaurants, museums etc. He even goes so far as to say that as places of free speech (and allowing a certain level of equality), third spaces can be seen as the “precursors of democracy“. They are places in which we meet friends and strangers, foster connections and create new ones [1]. This is especially interesting when talking about loneliness, since even small and short social interactions can improve mental wellbeing and create a feeling of belonging and connection [2].
When designing Third Places it is important to remember that they are dynamic spaces that are constantly changing, evolving and adapting: „A public space cannot be finished any more than the city in which it resides can be“ [3]. This also means that a key element of a good public space is good management, to be able to keep up with the needs and constant changes of the communities and people. Big issues when creating spaces (besides real estate prizes and restrictive regulations [4]) has been that much of the planning and building has been done from the top down, by experts such as architects and urban planners. The main factor however are the people: „Normal citizens are the best experts that you can ask for when planning how a place should be designed or used“ [3]. Citizen participation could therefor be an interesting topic for the design process of third places, asking questions like How can people be motivated to engage and participate in community building? And How can we make Third Spaces accessible for all people? [5]
“Libraries shouldn’t shush, they should roar”
In her Talk Maarya Rehman makes an interesting case about libraries as good Third Places, even or especially in the digital age. She opens up an entirely new angle to think about libraries, describing her own experience when she was given the opportunity to reopen a library in Pakistan. Rehman states that a place like a library doesn’t have just one function and can be many different things to many different people, depending on their needs. Another important attribute – as mentioned previously – is that Third Places act as social levelers. This means that it doesn’t matter who a person is (where they come from, how much money they make, etc), in Third Places like libraries they are simply a citizen. Finally she makes the point, that the existence of these Places in the real world is as relevant as ever with a large amount of our lives shifting into the digital online world where our connections become intangible data and we are constantly overloaded with information. Libraries can take many forms and help people connect over one thing at a time. Be it a common interest or a shared problem that can be solved together. [6, 7]
Several places have taken up this idea and basic concept of a library and adapted it to their needs. One of the most famous examples is Finland with its Oodi library, that not only rents out books, but is an entire three story building detected to bringing people together for creative collaboration, co-working and connecting [7]. It has a restaurant and cafe for people to eat and chat, but also several different areas of creative work like sewing machines. It is a small ecosystem with everything that is needed for different types of communities and connection. It makes co-working possible but also offers workshops for people to learn and bond over new experiences. Studios with expensive equipment can be rented to work on projects and create together. It is also inclusive to all generations offering family solutions for people with children. All in all it is an incredibly diverse place, designed for many types of different interaction and existing for many different people and a very interesting starting point for thinking about the potentials of public spaces.
Oodie Public Library, Finland https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oodi
Sources
- R. Oldenburg, The great good place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community. Da Capo Press, 1999.
- J. Murray, “Are third places the cure for loneliness?,” Wondermind, May 16, 2024. https://www.wondermind.com/article/third-place/
- “To make a great third place, get out of the way.” https://www.pps.org/article/to-create-a-great-third-place-get-out-of-the-way
- C. Diaz and S. M. Butler, “‘Third places’ as community builders,” Brookings, Sep. 14, 2016. [Online]. Available: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/third-places-as-community-builders/
- M. Lerner, “Redefining third spaces: Modern approaches to informal urban gathering places – Urban Land Magazine,” Urban Land, Aug. 16, 2024. https://urbanland.uli.org/redefining-third-spaces-modern-approaches-to-informal-urban-gathering-places
- M. Rehman, “Libraries – the good (third) place,” TED Talks. [Online]. Available: https://www.ted.com/talks/maarya_rehman_libraries_the_good_third_place?subtitle=en
- “Home – Oodi,” Oodi, Jan. 02, 2025. https://oodihelsinki.fi/en/
