Subscribe to this blog 
10 Reasons “Third Places” matter to Rural Communities
January 26th, 2010 by Mike Knutson
Admittedly, I go a little overboard on emphasizing the importance of “third places” to the future of rural communities, but my gut tells me they play a more vital role in the social and economic wellbeing of our rural communities than most people give them credit for. 
For those who haven’t heard of them before, third places are where people meet and socialize outside of their homes (first places) and their work (second places). Sociologist Ray Oldenburg is credited with drawing attention to third places through his influential book, The Great Good Place. Back in January 2009, I wrote this post titled “Does your Community need a Coffee Shop and other Third Places?” It’s still one of our more popular posts here at Reimagine Rural.
Lacking in any of my previous writing about third places, however, is a comprehensive explanation of how third places impact the economic wellbeing of small, rural communities - or any community for that matter. For that reason, I’ve produced the following resource guide to illuminate why rural communities must get serious about their efforts to develop strong third places in their communities.
10 Reasons Third Places Matter to Rural Communities
1. Third places are cool…and rural places could stand a little cool. It’s no secret that young people today crave “cool” environments to live and hang out. What receives less attention, however, is research that suggests Gen Yers often choose where to live before seeking permanent employment; and that “coolness” plays a role in this decision making process. If true, this tells us that for rural communities to attract young people, they need to develop some cool places young people crave. And what better way to do it than by creating a place where young and old can get together. (Another article on the subject can be found here.)
2. Third places introduce new people to the community. I’ve noted in previous posts, how important it is for new residents and visitors to feel welcomed by a community. Wall Street Journal writer Gwendolyn Bounds offers a personal perspective of how Guinans, an Irish pub, welcomed her into the Garrison, NY community and played a critical role in her choice to move there. As Bounds came to frequent the pub, “regulars” at Guinans taught her (a former NYC resident) a great deal about how to live in a rural community (i.e. use a chain saw, fix the plumbing, and deal with the snow). It’s possible that new residents can become a part of a community without a third place, but third places seem to make the process a lot easier.
3. Third Places improve the quality of life in a community. Quality of life means different things to different people. Some say quality of life requires a community to have a strong “night life.” Other, say it requires safe environments. But as this research suggests, people who live in communities with third places perceive the quality of life in their community as being higher than those who live without them.
4. Third Places are good for tourism. When people go on vacation they are typically looking for a unique experience. More and more, they also want that experience to be authentic. In other words, they want to get a sense of a community’s character, rather than an image developed by a corporate marketing department. If your community has a scenic wonder like the Grand Canyon, or man-made attraction like the Mall of America, you may not need to worry about a third place. But as tourism expert Roger Brooks of Destination Development Inc. notes, third places are a part of each community’s “brand” and can become places where locals and visitors meet each other. If you want further proof on the importance of third places to tourism, just look at what the Irish pub has done for tourism in Ireland.
5. Third places can help improve the business climate in your small town. Increasingly entrepreneurs need to work from anywhere and at anytime. That’s why cell service, broadband internet, and wifi accessibility are vital infrastructure to any rural community. But does your community have a place where entrepreneurs can meet with clients and business partners, take advantage of technology, and remain connected to the office? If not, your community may be frustrating entrepreneurs more than you realize.
6. Third places stimulate creativity. I work from home quite a bit. Sometimes, the solitude becomes deafening, and I need to be around people. I’ve discovered that in addition to combating isolation, third places help stimulate both my productivity and creativity. Surprisingly, I’m not alone. I recently learned that J.K. Rowlings turns to cafés for inspiration while writing her monumental Harry Potter books. Now she’s creative! (And just think what would happen if a third place in your community inspired the next Harry Potter series.)
7. Third Places help people age in place. Back in the 1990s, the Rural Learning Center focused on developing senior housing options (like independent and assisted living) in our community because we learned that helping seniors age in place was important to their quality of life. F. Kaid Benfield recognized that same issue in this blog post where he emphasized that communities who follow smart growth principles should develop third places for seniors that they can walk to. The point here is that seniors need to be active and engaged. That could be accomplished with a senior citizens facility. But a more efficient use of resources would involve developing third places where all generations visit.
8. Third Places can help create jobs. Cooltown Studios has published numerous blogs posts about third places in urban areas. I particularly like this post, which highlights how third places help build conversations that lead to entrepreneurial thinking, a requirement for growing our economy. On one hand, saying that third places lead to job growth is a bit abstract for me, but I do believe it’s a good reminder that entrepreneurs need places to network and build conversations in order to generate new ideas that will hopefully lead to job growth.
9. Third Places will never be replaced by social networking sites like Facebook. There’s a school of thought suggesting that physical third places are being replaced by virtual ones. In other words, Facebook is the new third place. Now let me be clear: I believe rural communities should consider developing an online social networking strategy as a part of their economic development work. It’s a great way to connect with people both inside and outside your community. But as Mary Newsom writes on Citiwire: online social networks as third places are “mere metaphors for the real thing.”
10. Third Places help build conversation …. and conversation leads to trust. One of the beautiful things about quality third places is that they bring together people of all socio-economic backgrounds. As conversation emerges in a third place, people begin to know, understand, and trust each other. Sociologists call this bridging social capital 
and have recognized its importance in community and economic development in rural places. (As this paper suggest, bridging social capital is the entry point for strengthening your community socially and economically.) On a basic level, most of us can appreciate that whenever people come together for open conversation, they begin to trust each other. And when people trust each other, it’s a lot easier to get things done in our communities.
I’ve been thinking and writing about the importance of third places in rural communities for a couple years now, and I’ve really noticed the growth of good resources being published online. In addition to sharing some of those resources as links above, I’ve attempted to save my favorites to my Delicious account. Even though I’ve saved over 60 recourses, I know the list is incomplete.
That’s why I’d like to ask for your help. Feel free to check out my list of favorites on Delicious, but just as important, please share your favorites with me. And don’t think that my “10 Reasons Third Places are important to Rural Communities” list above is complete either. I plan to revise the list in the near future, and include your thoughts and new discoveries in it.
Photo Credits:
- Top Right: Calamity Sal - Flickr
- Middle Left: Shannonmcneise - Flickr
- Bottom Right: powerbook — Flickr
Tags: Gwendolyn Bounds, people attraction, social capital, third places, tourism
Posted in Community Development, Community Engagement, Economic Development, Quality of Life, Rural, Uncategorized | Comments (
6 )
January 27th, 2010 at 7:50 am
Overboard? Au contraire: this hefty post should be required reading for every small-town Chamber and economic development board. Every town needs a living room where visitors can sit down, have a cup of coffee, and get to know us.
January 27th, 2010 at 8:27 am
Cory, Thanks for the recommendation. It reminds me; have you thought about sharing Oldenburg’s The Great Good Place or his second book Celebrating the Third Place with the folks who are reopening the coffee shop in Madison, SD? It might help them see their business in a new light. I shared The Great Good Place with the ladies at Common Grounds in Howard, but wish I’d given them Celebrating the Third Place, which is a collection of stories.
January 28th, 2010 at 6:09 am
Good idea! When I meet the Baders, we’ll talk reading lists!
January 28th, 2010 at 6:39 am
[...] Knudson at Reimagine Rural posts a great summary of why “third places” are essential to rural community development. Third places—you know, the coffee shop, the café, the counter at Madison’s NAPA store [...]
March 5th, 2010 at 8:07 am
I know I am late to this dialogue, but I want you to know that I love your blog, and love this idea of a ‘third place’, especially the idea of deliberately making sure there IS a third place in your town. I am sharing this idea and blog with members of our newly formed Community Dialogue Project.
Do you have ideas on intergenerational third places? Or should a town look to have a special place for teens (who really do crave face time, not just virtual face time) and a different one (or at least a different time) for adults? I’d be curious about your ideas of having a generational mix.
Thanks for your work here!
March 5th, 2010 at 8:14 am
Linda,
You are never late to a conversation if you do something to keep the dialogue going. You’ve actually reminded me that I had promised to answer similar questions from another gentleman — and I forgot. The simple answer is that I like the idea of integenerational third places. But whatever third places that emerge in your community need to make sense in your community. I’ll try to pull together a few more thoughts on this subject and post something next week.
And thanks for the kind remarks. People like you are our inspiration.