Where Have All the Third Spaces Gone?

As businesses shortened their hours during the pandemic, Philadelphia residents found themselves with fewer options for places to spend their evenings.

1 minute read

December 19, 2022, 12:00 PM PST

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Woman sitting at cafe table with laptop, holding coffee cup and looking out at street

Iryna Inshyna / Cafe

“Third spaces,” public or quasi-public spaces where people spend time between home and work, are rapidly disappearing in Philadelphia, according to an article by Jake Blumgart in the Philadelphia Inquirer. As Blumgart explains,

Few coffee shops in Center City or South Philadelphia stay open past 5 p.m. The city’s all-night diners are dwindling away. The Barnes & Noble on Walnut Street is downsizing, causing an outcry over the loss of a public restroom and accommodating public spaces. Fast food restaurants have largely vanished from downtown.

Blumgart points out that areas around universities tend to cultivate semi-public spaces that provide a pleasant respite for people beyond the campus community. In Philadelphia, “University City is home to so many “third spaces” partly because Penn and Drexel see them as part of a larger strategy to improve relations with the surrounding neighborhoods.”

But as businesses slashed their hours during the pandemic to accommodate city restrictions, lower demand, and reduced staff, many people find themselves without anywhere outside of bars to spend time in the evenings.

Wednesday, December 14, 2022 in Philadelphia Inquirer

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Bird's eye view of manufactured home park.

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing

Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

March 25, 2025 - Shelterforce

U-Haul truck on road with blurred grassy roadside in background.

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?

Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

March 27, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Rusty abandoned oil well and equipment with prickly pear cactus next to it in West Texas.

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage

Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

March 31, 2025 - Pennsylvania State University

Downtown Los Angeles skyline viewed from a distance with freeway and trees in foreground.

Updating LA’s Tree Rules Could Bring More Shade to Underserved Neighborhoods

A new USC study finds that relaxing Los Angeles’ outdated tree planting guidelines could significantly expand urban tree canopy and reduce shade disparities in lower-income neighborhoods, though infrastructure investments are also needed.

7 hours ago - USC Dornsife

Aerial view of Claifornia aqueduct with green orchard on one side.

California's Canal Solar Projects Aim to Conserve Resources and Expand Clean Energy

California’s Project Nexus has begun generating electricity from solar panels installed over irrigation canals, with researchers and state agencies exploring statewide expansion to conserve water and boost clean energy production.

April 3 - Turlock Journal

Close-up of older woman's hands resting on white modern heating radiator mounted on wall indoors.

HHS Staff Cuts Gut Energy Assistance Program

The full staff of a federal program that distributes heating and cooling assistance for low-income families was laid off, jeopardizing the program’s operations.

April 3 - The New York Times