Third Places

Black and white photo of Pike Place Market entrance in Seattle with "PUBLIC MARKET" and "Meet the producer" signs

Revisiting ‘Third Places’ as a Pandemic Recovery Tool

In Chuck Wolfe's latest piece on downtown recovery for GeekWire, he proposes revisiting a multifaceted ‘third place’ agenda as a focus for downtown recovery.

June 22, 2023 - GeekWire

Portland Food Carts

Ode to Third Places

Urban strategist Michele Reeves writes about the of third places importance in the urban fabric.

July 28, 2019 - UrbDeZine

Fast Food Restaurant

McDonald's: Where the Nation Feels Welcome

McDonald's takes a lot of heat for the quality of the food, but most Americans still associate the fast food giant's restaurants, and others like it, with family, community, and good times.

July 4, 2019 - CityLab

Fast Food Restaurants

Customers Seeking "Third Places" Give McDonald's a Second Thought

Climate controlled public places where the elderly, cost-conscious and indigent are welcome to spend a few hours are hard to find. Tensions have erupted at McDonald’s restaurants in NYC between customers seeking a refuge and business interests.

January 28, 2014 - The New York Times

Why the Titans of Tech Must Become Better Urbanists

Technology companies are increasing their presence in cities, adopting the language of planners, and seeking to create communities. Yet, according to Allison Arieff, the sector does a uniformly poor job of contributing to urban vitality.

December 16, 2013 - The New York Times

To Create a Great 'Third Place', Get Out of the Way

For far too long, the shaping of public spaces has been left to architects and urban planners, who plan from the top down. The most successful projects involve people directly in deciding how their public spaces will look, feel, and operate.

April 4, 2013 - Shelterforce Magazine

BOOK REVIEW: For the Love of Cities

Urbanist Peter Kageyama's new book suggests that the "loveability" of a city as a factor in its success is greatly underappreciated. Mike Lydon has this review.

August 25, 2011 - Mike Lydon

"No Net Loss" for Third Places?

Amid the dissolution of Borders bookstores in urban centers, Chuck Wolfe urges policymakers and the private market to assure "no let loss" in the spirit of natural resource protection to assure third places remain available in American cities.

July 25, 2011 - Sustainable Cities Collective

The Joy of Working in Coffee Shops

Malcolm Gladwell and others attest to the effectiveness of working in restaurants, coffee shops and bars, and why it works.

April 19, 2011 - The Atlantic

The Magic of a Passageway

A humble passageway through a building to a parking lot became a favorite public space with just a deli, a Starbucks, and some patio tables.

April 23, 2010 - The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Rethinking Supermarkets

Supermarkets of the future may become the center of neighborhood life, predicts planner Mark Hinshaw.

April 18, 2010 - Citiwire.net

Is a Digital Neighbor as Good as the Real Thing?

Can Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace replace the neighborhood bar, cafe, or hangout? Mary Newsom says no.

September 25, 2009 - Citiwire.net

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