Third spaces are places designed to facilitate the creation of and engagement in community. They ensure the inclusion of different groups of people, and provide a space for it to happen. Third spaces are especially important among younger people because they give them an outlet to socialize and build community without having to spend money they don’t have. Third spaces are typically cost-free or close to it, meaning younger generations like college students, who are on average significantly less wealthy than older generations, can rely on them existing without having to pay an obscene amount.
But lately, I have noticed a large decline in available and accessible third spaces. Third spaces such as local coffee shops experienced a large decrease in foot traffic during and following the COVID-19 pandemic. As a direct result, those lucky spaces which successfully weathered the pandemic dug themselves further and further into debt. Between such debt and the post-pandemic inflationary spike, many of these community businesses have had no choice but to close their doors. Larger chain companies like Starbucks, having no connection to the local area and thus no reason to prioritize the rather unprofitable business of facilitating community over more profitable high turnover of paying customers, have taken it upon themselves to fill some of the spaces left behind by these smaller companies, while many have simply gone completely vacant. Small gestures such as a lack of access to real dishes (mugs, plates, silverware, etc.), acoustic lighting, and uncomfortable seating make people more inclined to simply leave after getting their seven dollar cup of mediocre coffee. Young adults and students can no longer find or keep access to these free public spaces because they are quite literally disappearing in favor of complete vacancy or maximal profit-seeking and minimal facilitation of socialization.
It’s not just corporate expansion that is keeping the third spaces at an all-time low, but also the decreasing accessibility of those spaces. Small accessibility issues add up in the long run to make it increasingly impossible for some to reach what third spaces may remain in their area post-COVID. Hostile architecture—for example, the removal of benches from public spaces like benches and parks, or deliberately uncomfortable redesigns—and antiloitering and trespassing laws directly discriminate against both the homeless population and anyone who doesn’t have access to a non-public third space. Increasingly large sections of our cities and towns have neither convenient access to community-oriented businesses nor legal ways to comfortably enjoy public spaces. This affects any young person—and anyone in general—who wants to find a free or cheap way to hang out with their friends outside of home and work.
The elimination of third spaces represents not just a few teenagers losing access to their favorite coffee shop or study spot, but rather the entire community losing networking opportunities, social and cultural inclusion and immersion, and spaces where they can feel comfortable being the inherently social species that we are. The harm is more than a loss for a place to go, it is directly affecting people and their ability and longing to be whatever they want to be without stress. The decline of third spaces leads to the seclusion of the people and the loss of a sense of belonging.
