TA24-J F-Pages - Flipbook - Page 7
Editor’s Note
The lively Texas Farmers’ Market at Mueller brings together Austinites from across the city.
Our Great Good Places
by Anastasia Calhoun, Assoc. AIA, NOMA
PHOTO BY LEONID FURMANSKY
T
he concept of “third places” was one
our TxA Publications Committee
latched onto early and enthusiastically in our planning for this new year.
Though introduced by sociologist Ray
Oldenburg in his 1989 book “The Great Good
Place,” the term was new for some committee
members, and a concept that clearly resonated at
an essential level. It describes the public spaces
we inhabit together as a community, distinct from
our 昀椀rst places (home) and second places (work).
Third places are on the decline for a variety of
reasons ranging from increasing privatization and
automobile-centric urban planning to the relatively
new digital landscape we inhabit — not to mention
the COVID-19 pandemic that collapsed not only
our third places but our second places, too, as our
homes suddenly had to accommodate all things
live-work-play. Considering our current landscape,
it is apparent that we not only need community but
that we are desperate for it.
A U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory entitled
“Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation” was
published earlier this year. It states: “Loneliness is
far more than just a bad feeling — it harms both
individual and societal health. It is associated with
a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia,
stroke, depression, anxiety, and premature death.
The mortality impact of being socially disconnected is similar to that caused by smoking up to
15 cigarettes a day, and even greater than that associated with obesity and physical inactivity. And the
harmful consequences of a society that lacks social
connection can be felt in our schools, workplaces,
and civic organizations, where performance,
productivity, and engagement are diminished.”
Similarly, an 85-year study by Harvard researchers found that the number one determinant of a
happy life — which in turn helps us to live longer
too — is “social 昀椀tness,” or the number of positive
relationships that we each have.
Somewhat ironically, the corporate world has
already picked up on the importance of these third
places, not only to human health and happiness,
but to productivity and innovation as well — indicators that typically correlate with a positive impact
on a business’s bottom line. It has now become
a standard for many businesses to include spaces
like a co昀昀ee bar or casual seating in the workplace
to get people talking to each other, encouraging
chance encounters and an exchange of ideas
along the way. While these amenities are valuable
to workers and businesses alike, it’s important to
understand that these places are not substitutes
for the third places that make up our cities and
broader communities. Nor is social media a substitute. By de昀椀nition, third places present the opportunity for us all to encounter and interact with
those who are di昀昀erent from us. They help us to
forge relationships with and build trust among our
neighbors, who otherwise would remain strangers
to most of us. Knowing our neighbors also helps to
build more resilient communities: Following disasters, it is typically uno昀케cial, local aid that arrives
昀椀rst. These precious third places provide a forum
for thoughtful face-to-face dialogue with those who
hold di昀昀ering opinions from our own and, in the
process, foster an atmosphere of respect not typically found in the anonymity of an online platform.
We all must advocate for and actively create
these places we so sorely need. And the best part
is, it can be accomplished in fun and creative ways.
Ray Oldenburg turned his two-car garage into a
bar for the neighborhood, with regular hours of
operation on Wednesdays and Sundays. In my own
life, my yard — one of the only fenced yards in the
neighborhood — has become the informal neighborhood dog park. More than once I’ve heard a
commotion outside my front door, opening it to
昀椀nd a neighbor dog, sans owner, excitedly waiting
to be let in to play. It surfaces memories from the
not-too-distant past, in the era before cell phones,
when friends would knock on my door unannounced for a cup of co昀昀ee or with an invitation
to join in an activity. And the alternative? As the
Surgeon General warns: “If we fail to do so, we
will pay an ever-increasing price in the form of
our individual and collective health and well-being.
And we will continue to splinter and divide until we
can no longer stand as a community or a country.
Instead of coming together to take on the great
challenges before us, we will further retreat to our
corners — angry, sick, and alone.” I know that I,
for one, vote for neighborhood garage bars and
informal dog parks.
1/2 2024
Texas Architect 5