Urban sociologists have a term for a space that has important meaning that is separate from the two main places, home and work, where we spend most of our time. We call this “the third place.” I know, I know how original, right? But it means something.
In community building, place-making, and co-creation of the local, the third place is critical in bringing people together in ways that can’t always happen at work or home. It is the place where we hang. The place we come to relax. Our ‘happy place’ in many cases. The space where we gather with friends, take our date, or go just to catch up with other regulars and locals.
Third places are spaces that essentially keep the civic spirit alive. They enhance the neighborhood. They boost the urban landscape. And they give us a sense of identity and belonging in the urban environment that can often feel too big, or overwhelming, even in the biggest little city.
As a sociologist and urban dweller I have been thinking about third places in Reno, and in Sparks. For me these spaces are my favorite coffee shops - Lighthouse Coffee at the Sparks Marina, the coffee shop in Barnes and Noble, and the Too Soul Tea Co downtown.
Other great third places include local hang-outs like your favorite bar, maybe a gym, or for some, like me, the Nevada Museum of Art. If you are a parent your third place might be any one of our local parks, or the Discovery Museum perhaps. If you are a foodie it might be an amazing restaurant, or a farmers market. There are so many wonderful places in Reno/Sparks to enjoy and to claim and co-create as your own local 'third place.'
Part of what made the pandemic so very hard for so very many was the temporary and jarring loss of this “third place” - and now, many of them are coming back, and we are migrating towards them, and maybe finding new ones. Let me know what your “third place” is and why in the comments. But of course, keep it clean and classy, Reno, please. Let’s celebrate our local urban environment and the mentality of community care and civic engagement.