Third place

In sociology, the third place refers to the social surroundings that are separate from the two usual social environments of home ("first place") and the workplace ("second place"). Examples of third places include churches, cafes, bars, clubs, libraries, gyms, bookstores, hackerspaces, stoops, parks, theaters, among others. In his book The Great Good Place (1989), Ray Oldenburg argues that third places are important for civil society, democracy, civic engagement and establishing feelings of a sense of place. Before Oldenburg's death, at 90, in 2022, he asked Karen Christensen, with whom he had corresponded and collaborated for many years, to write a new version of The Great Good Place, as well as keeping the original edition available.