Can Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace replace the neighborhood bar, cafe, or hangout? Mary Newsom says no.
"This is a defense of the value of real places where real people meet, and the little-heeded but significant role they play in the life of our cities and towns.
Online networks can, of course, create social and business relationships. Facebook, MySpace and Twitter let people meet and keep in touch, and occasionally in-person friendships flower from Facebook 'friending.' Indeed, their popularity may well be fed by the lack of true Third Places in our lives.
Still, as Third Places they're mere metaphors for the real thing."
FULL STORY: Where Everybody Knows Your Name
Dairy Queen and Rural Third Places
Dozens of Dairy Queen restaurants across Texas are closing, taking a critical community space with them.
Lost and Found: Fighting Loneliness With Parks and Third Places
To combat the epidemic of loneliness, Susan Henderson's evocative photos of “third places” reflect on how these spaces have evolved and their importance in fostering connection.
For Some, Co-Housing Offers Social and Economic Benefits
Residents of co-living developments say the built-in community helps ease the growing isolation felt by many Americans.
Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself
The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.
Santa Clara County Dedicates Over $28M to Affordable Housing
The county is funding over 600 new affordable housing units via revenue from a 2016 bond measure.
Why a Failed ‘Smart City’ Is Still Relevant
A Google-backed proposal to turn an underused section of Toronto waterfront into a tech hub holds relevant lessons about privacy and data.
When Sears Pioneered Modular Housing
Kit homes sold in catalogs like Sears and Montgomery Ward made homeownership affordable for midcentury Americans.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions