Less than four decades ago, the term “third space” was introduced into American culture and the English lexicon. “Third space” rhetoric emerged to describe the social gathering spaces that exist outside of home and the workplace, such as libraries, malls, schools, coffee shops, parks, and places of worship.  Third spaces themselves are relatively neutral in their function. The way that people choose to interact in or with them is what allows them to live up to their highest potential (or not). 

In previous generations, third spaces assisted in the formation of connections and communities. As teenagers, many millennials (myself included) spent their weekends working or hanging out with friends at malls. Millennials shared the halls of malls with members of the silent generation (those born between 1928 and 1945), who could also be found in the wee hours of the morning taking brisk walks up and down the corridors of these public spaces. Malls are a good option for exercise because they’re a free and accessible way for people to socialize and move their bodies. Socializing is good for people of all ages, but includes distinct benefits for multiple dimensions of wellbeing among senior citizens. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, coffee shops had become the home office for many professionals to work or to meet up with others. Libraries provided people with their earliest exposure to books and, for some, the only access to computers. Third spaces also facilitated connections between people who may not otherwise exist in one another’s social spheres.  

The decline of third spaces reaffirms research that shows segregation is still present in American social circles based on race, class, and religion.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. famously said that Sunday morning was the most (racially) segregated hour of the week, as a reference to the Protestant Christian religious landscape. This shows that there is still a need for third spaces, such as churches, to foster relationships. Third spaces have historically helped build connections across divisions in U.S. society. The decline of third spaces reaffirms research that shows segregation is still present in American social circles based on race, class, and religion (PPRI, 2022). This reality was worsened by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which hindered people’s ability to engage with one another in terms of physical presence and political ideology. The economic fallout of the pandemic meant that many third spaces were no longer accessible, financially viable, or desirable. Parents stopped taking their children to the playhouses at McDonald’s and Chick-Fil-A, and local businesses closed after sharp declines in their client base. The normalization of virtual spaces became a highly used alternative and has not been replaced post-pandemic. This change has impacted adolescents who would have otherwise engaged with diverse groups of people in classrooms, sports teams, and college residence halls. The result has been polarization across many social differences.  

The decline of third spaces is more than the loss of physical buildings; it is also the loss of building connections across differences.

Third spaces are directly connected to people’s ability and willingness to manage conflict, listen attentively, and interact with others who believe or behave differently than themselves. The decline of third spaces is more than the loss of physical buildings; it is also the loss of building connections across differences. As the United States becomes increasingly diverse, third spaces can play an important role in facilitating these connections between people. Does your neighborhood have third spaces? Are any of them free and accessible to all people? Are there ways you could help create more where you live?