What is a ‘third place’?
A third place is a space that is not your home, that is not your work, but is a place that, in the words of sociologist and third place theory originator Ray Oldenburg, “anchors community life and facilitates and fosters broader, more creative interaction.” Simply put, it’s a place where you can relax, be yourself, meet new people, and explore new ideas, ideally with little to no cost involved.
Unfortunately, low or no cost spaces of any sort are in increasingly short supply these days. There are plenty of places to go to relax and meet our neighbours, but a purchase or an admission fee is often required. Sitting,relaxing, and engaging others is only fine if you pay. Socializing without buying is loitering, and loiterers will be asked to leave. No matter how inviting these places are, if you have to pay to stay, they’re not accessible to folks without the means to do so.
A loss of easily accessible third places can be tough on a community. The decline in third places has been linked to rising loneliness in society, erosion of social trust, and even declines in both mental and physical health. Attempts to move third places online have created their own problems, including technological barriers to access and the spread of ‘echo chambers’, digital spaces where any dissenting opinion is quickly shut down and the dissenting commenter is exiled from the chat.
Looking at Oldenburg’s original list of third place characteristics, it’s easy to see why the team here at reachAbility consider our offices, and a number of our community partners’ locations, to be valid third places that serve important social functions. Those seven original characteristics are as follows:
- Open and Inviting. reachAbility’s programs are free to everyone, and our space is accessible for those living with disabilities.
- Comfortable and Informal. Informality is the name of the game at reachAbility. We don’t stand on ceremony, and we meet you where you’re at. We also try to make our offices as physically comfortable as possible, which includes having a dedicated low sensory space for those who need a quiet moment.
- Convenient. We’d love to be even more conveniently located, but rent downtown sure is costly! Our offices are in Fairview and are easy to find on major bus routes, but we also take our programming on the road to communities around metro Halifax, in an attempt to bring a third place closer to you.
- Unpretentious. Almost to a fault, but that’s true of most Maritimes. (One of our better qualities.)
- There are regulars. There are, among both our participants and our staff. Our CEO has been a familiar face at reachAbility for over 27 years, and much of our leadership team has been in place since 2020. While the goal for our clients is to move them on to new opportunities, everyone is welcome to return to reachAbility when they need a hand getting back on track.
- Conversation is the main activity. This is the one characteristic that’s only mostly true for us. We ensure that we’re a safe space where our clients can talk about their lives, their goals, and their challenges, but we also provide resources and activities beyond simply sharing perspectives.
- Laughter is frequent. It sure is, and thank goodness for that. A lot of our clients are experiencing very tough times, and the work we do can be emotionally heavy. A light moment and a good laugh is often the best way to keep perspective and to rally after a particularly tough day.
If you’re looking at this list and wondering where the third places have gone in your life, come and visit ours! We’re located at 3845 Joseph Howe Drive, Suite 201. You can register for our free programming, or just come and check out our space, meet our staff, and find out more about what we do. If you time it right, you might even be able to sneak in a quick snuggle with our therapy dog, Neo the Newfiepoo. Even if Neo’s not here, we promise a welcoming and safe space where you’ll always be greeted by a friendly face, your perspective will always be valued, and you’ll never have to pay to stay.
