The third place

By: J. David Chapman/May 4, 2017

In community building, the third place refers to the social surroundings separate from the two usual social environments of home (first place) and work (second place). Examples of third places are cafes, churches, clubs, bars, pubs, gyms, parks, or libraries.

We frequently refer to the third place when attracting an innovative workforce of millennials. As a college professor, I have a front-row seat to the undeniable desires of millennials and their need to communicate, network, and collaborate with like-minded, creative, and intelligent peers. I am convinced that they will seek out a community that will provide these opportunities within walking distance of their first and second place.

OKC has launched a new effort in community-building between N. Robinson and N. Lottie avenues, and NE 13th and NE Fourth streets. They enlisted the Brookings Institution to design a concept, called the Innovation District. Their report on the proposed district was released to a crowded room at the Skirvin Hotel, detailing the good news as well as the challenges in the area. Proximity to downtown, lucrative tax increment financing, GE Global Oil & Gas Research Center, and a robust medical school and research park were among the advantages. Challenges included a lack of mixed-use real estate projects and an auto-dependent district with the inability to walk or bike anywhere. I expected these responses; however, their reference to the lack of third place was the one that impressed me the most.

I have been teaching the importance of third place for some time. While we have been busy trying to make accommodations for millennials and their desire for “third place,” I think many of us in the built environment, such as architects, developers, and builders, have failed to realize the importance to other generations. My wife and I are in our 50s and getting ready to move into our forever home and the biggest criteria for us was the location and third place. My European friends call their third place their local. They are generally referring to a pub, which is their meeting place on evenings and holidays. In the U.S., go into any coffee shop in your local community and you will find older gentlemen discussing and solving the world’s problems. They understand and appreciate the concept of third place.

J. David Chapman is an associate professor of finance and real estate at the University of Central Oklahoma (jchapman7@uco.edu).