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Shared Space - Places of Connection: The Role of Public Space in Our Social Health

Places of Connection: The Role of Public Space in Our Social Health

06/08/20 • 8 min

Shared Space

The prehistoric Stonehenge monument and other archaeological sites offer ample evidence of human civilization’s enduring need for communal gathering spaces, those places where people can come together for celebration, ritual, and the mundane (1). These places are what sociologist Ray Oldenburg coined third places (2)—places unlike the private, informal home and the public, formal workplace, being both informal and public. These are places where people gather and socialize deliberately or casually (3): meet friends, cheer for the home team with fellow fans, or just sit to people-watch. Third places are defined by their “ordinariness”(4) and allow people to meet, relax, play, and just be, with minimal cost to themselves (5). Third places have been shown to strengthen social capital (6), foster social connection (7), and boost diversity (8) and well-being (9). They also serve as “enabling places” (10) that promote recovery from mental illness by providing social and material resources11.

The social interactions that occur in these spaces can provide opportunities for making and sustaining bonds, offer relief from daily stresses, support a sense of community, and facilitate tolerance between diverse people (12). Research also shows that the social support (i.e., emotional support, companionship) that people get in third places may match their deficit of social support elsewhere13. In light of this evidence, as loneliness is on the rise (14), the need for third places, and public space, is greater than ever. Yet across the nation, third places are closing (15),fraying the ties that hold communities together.

To create places that connect us, we need policymakers, entrepreneurs, developers, city planners, architects, and, most of all, citizens to advocate for the importance of cultivating these spaces, which provide a buffer from the physical and psychological stresses of modern day. Although third places have traditionally been studied and understood as standalone brick-and-mortar spaces, this report makes the case that they also exist as small, semi-public spaces within larger buildings or areas—for example, the office kitchen, or the communal space in a long-term inpatient unit, or the shared interior courtyard of a large building. These places can be small- to largescale: office watering coolers, local coffee shops, corner markets, daycares, community centers, city parks, and street blocks16. Some have argued that virtual worlds can serve as “fourth places” or a type of digital third place; however, there is little evidence that virtual places can fill the real world physical needs for connection, community, leisure, and support that third places do...

REFERENCES: 1. Ellard, 2018; 2. Oldenburg, 1999; 3. Soja, 1996; 4. Hickman, 2013; 5. Cheang, 2002; Finlay, Esposito, Kim, Gomez-Lopez, & Clarke,2019; Oldenburg, 1999; Thompson & Kent, 2014; 6. Lifszyc-Friedlander et al., 2019; 7. Klinenberg, 2018; Williams & Hipp, 2019; 8. Klinenberg, 2018; Williams & Hipp, 2019; 9. Cattell, Dines, Gesler, & Curtis, 2008; 10. Duff, 2012

FULL REPORT: https://www.hksinc.com/how-we-think/research/connecting-irl-how-the-built-environment-can-foster-social-health/

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The prehistoric Stonehenge monument and other archaeological sites offer ample evidence of human civilization’s enduring need for communal gathering spaces, those places where people can come together for celebration, ritual, and the mundane (1). These places are what sociologist Ray Oldenburg coined third places (2)—places unlike the private, informal home and the public, formal workplace, being both informal and public. These are places where people gather and socialize deliberately or casually (3): meet friends, cheer for the home team with fellow fans, or just sit to people-watch. Third places are defined by their “ordinariness”(4) and allow people to meet, relax, play, and just be, with minimal cost to themselves (5). Third places have been shown to strengthen social capital (6), foster social connection (7), and boost diversity (8) and well-being (9). They also serve as “enabling places” (10) that promote recovery from mental illness by providing social and material resources11.

The social interactions that occur in these spaces can provide opportunities for making and sustaining bonds, offer relief from daily stresses, support a sense of community, and facilitate tolerance between diverse people (12). Research also shows that the social support (i.e., emotional support, companionship) that people get in third places may match their deficit of social support elsewhere13. In light of this evidence, as loneliness is on the rise (14), the need for third places, and public space, is greater than ever. Yet across the nation, third places are closing (15),fraying the ties that hold communities together.

To create places that connect us, we need policymakers, entrepreneurs, developers, city planners, architects, and, most of all, citizens to advocate for the importance of cultivating these spaces, which provide a buffer from the physical and psychological stresses of modern day. Although third places have traditionally been studied and understood as standalone brick-and-mortar spaces, this report makes the case that they also exist as small, semi-public spaces within larger buildings or areas—for example, the office kitchen, or the communal space in a long-term inpatient unit, or the shared interior courtyard of a large building. These places can be small- to largescale: office watering coolers, local coffee shops, corner markets, daycares, community centers, city parks, and street blocks16. Some have argued that virtual worlds can serve as “fourth places” or a type of digital third place; however, there is little evidence that virtual places can fill the real world physical needs for connection, community, leisure, and support that third places do...

REFERENCES: 1. Ellard, 2018; 2. Oldenburg, 1999; 3. Soja, 1996; 4. Hickman, 2013; 5. Cheang, 2002; Finlay, Esposito, Kim, Gomez-Lopez, & Clarke,2019; Oldenburg, 1999; Thompson & Kent, 2014; 6. Lifszyc-Friedlander et al., 2019; 7. Klinenberg, 2018; Williams & Hipp, 2019; 8. Klinenberg, 2018; Williams & Hipp, 2019; 9. Cattell, Dines, Gesler, & Curtis, 2008; 10. Duff, 2012

FULL REPORT: https://www.hksinc.com/how-we-think/research/connecting-irl-how-the-built-environment-can-foster-social-health/

Previous Episode

undefined - The Built Environment, Loneliness and Our Health

The Built Environment, Loneliness and Our Health

Many people see health as the responsibility of clinicians, nutritionists, and other health care professionals. Yet it has become clear that although vitally important, clinical care makes up just 10% to 20% of overall health (1). The physical environment is an important factor underlying our health ecosystem, influencing how we think, feel, and behave (2). The United Nations (3) and the World Health Organization (4) have identified better housing and neighborhood conditions as critical to reducing health inequalities.

Physical environments designed to enhance social connections enrich people’s lives on a daily basis but especially pay off in moments of crisis, such as in the aftermath of man-made or natural disasters, when people’s reliance on neighbors and local friends is critical to their survival (5). This report is not suggesting that the physical environment is the answer to every challenge, but it is an important and often overlooked part of our lives.

REFERENCES: 1. Hood, Gennuso, Swain, & Catlin, 2016; Sir et al., 2012; 2. Cerin, 2019; Hood et al., 2016; Nanda et al., 2017; Peavey Hsieh & Taylor, 2016; Sallis et al., 2006; Wilkie, Townshend, Thompson, & Ling, 2018; 3. United Nations, 2015b, 2015a; 4. World Health Organization, 2018; 5. Klinenberg, 2018

FULL REPORT: https://www.hksinc.com/how-we-think/research/connecting-irl-how-the-built-environment-can-foster-social-health/

Next Episode

undefined - The Psychology of Places of Connection with Dr. Colin Ellard [Part 1 of 2]

The Psychology of Places of Connection with Dr. Colin Ellard [Part 1 of 2]

I speak with acclaimed author, researcher, TEDx speaker, and professor of environmental psychology, Dr. Colin Ellard.

Part 1: On this first part of our two-part episode, Colin and I explore how he discovered his passion for this field, how COVID-19 is shaping his current research and how we are all connecting, and lastly we discuss what evolutionary psychology can teach us about ideal group sizes for connection and community.

Part 2: On the second half of our two-part episode, Colin and I explore research around what small tweaks can shape how we evaluate and want to connect with others, difference between what people think will make them happy and what they want, vs. what actually makes us happy in our home environments, and lastly he leaves us with what he hopes we consider in design and beyond.

Referenced in the show: Colin Ellard's website; University of Waterloo’s Urban Realities Lab

Colin's most recent book, Places of the Heart

Dunbar's Number, Ideal Group Sizes - Research; Popular Press

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