Third spaces might look different around the world, but like many other countries, America uses these popular hangout spots as a crucial resource that improves mental and physical health and they are important venues that promote social connections in cities.
Spending time in public once meant meeting with friends at a park, sitting in a library for hours, or gathering at a local hangout without having to think much about paying a fee.
To address the growing cost of social spaces, communities and local governments need to protect and invest in third spaces. These places provide a space where people can meet, study, relax or socialize, without the expectation of spending.
Today, many of the places where socializing used to happen, easily now come with a cost.
Coffee shops, gyms and entertainment venues have increasingly replaced their once free spaces where communities came to gather, with a place where it is obligatory to pay for the experience.
Want to sit somewhere for a while, talk to friends or study? You might need to buy a drink, pay for parking or purchase a membership.
At the beginning of 2025, one of America’s most popular coffee chains, Starbucks, required customers to make a purchase to sit or use the restroom in their business.
Ray Oldenburg, an American sociologist, referred to gathering places as third spaces in his 1989 book “The Great Good Place.” He described third spaces as locations beyond home or work, where people can relax, socialize and build community.
Stuart M. Butler, a scholar in economic studies and Carmen Diaz, a researcher focused on community and urban policy, state that third spaces are essential to community life in their report titled, “‘Third places’ as community builders.”
They state that third spaces provide a place where conversation comes naturally and where people from different backgrounds can interact and form connections. They help create a sense of belonging and strengthen civic engagement.
Yet, many of these places are now dominated by capitalist businesses. Rising costs make these spaces less accessible, especially for students and low-income people.
This shift has deeper social and economic consequences. When gathering spaces are tied to consumer spending, participation in public life becomes dependent on income. When those spaces follow a business first model, they attract a narrower demographic, people who can afford to participate.
Students, young people and lower-income residents may find themselves priced out of their own neighborhoods and communities, where interaction once was a human right.
The result is a significant form of social exclusion, where the ability to belong in public now comes with a price tag.
Public life slowly moves from shared civic spaces into private commercial ones.
That’s why public spaces are more important now than ever.
Cities can also make these spaces more active by supporting free programs such as outdoor movie nights, community markets, student study areas or public art events. Initiatives like these encourage people to use shared spaces while keeping them open and accessible to everyone.
LBCC student, Kayin Watley, spends time at the TTC campus’ Student Union on Monday. Among its many student services, the Student Union also serves as a place for students to relax between classes. (Jacyn King)
Building strong relationships within third spaces doesn’t involve reinventing communities, it requires reinvesting in public spaces that already exist.
By prioritizing a shared environment cities can create places where participation doesn’t come with a price tag.
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