What is a Third Space?

People gathered outdoors at a sunny patio with large yellow canopy, enjoying drinks and conversation, surrounded by trees and rustic decor.

Your home is your first space. Your work is your second space. Your third space is a place to be free, informal, and in community.

These gathering places host all sorts of activities, like parks and libraries. They facilitate spontaneous connection, like coffee shops and churches. The third space is a pillar of community, upholding local culture and ensuring no one is left behind.

People sitting at benches and tables on a wooden deck outdoors, surrounded by green trees and foliage, with a city skyline and television tower in the background during late afternoon.
Two young male skateboarders skateboarding in a concrete skatepark with various bowls and ramps.

Why do we need Third Spaces?

Today, forty-four percent of Americans don’t have access to a third space, and we barely know how to spot one. A third space could’ve been the country club - but they got too expensive. They could’ve been a community center - but they’ve become underfunded and overburdened. Then it was the coffee shop; now you can order your drink ahead. Then the gym; but after COVID you started working out at home. It’s unclear where we gather today, but for many of us - it’s nowhere.

The media discusses this phenomena in guarded terms; the ‘loneliness epidemic’ is treated like a social flu, an isolation virus to be medicated and kept in the corner. But Americans haven’t caught anything - our society is missing something. The impacts of such a stigma can be severe, with loneliness being linked to depression, anxiety, dementia, cardiovascular disease, and suicide. What’s worse is, those hit hardest are the ones we care about most - Veterans and Young Adults are at elevated risk for the adverse impacts of a lonelier world.

Whatever the underlying problem might be - social media, cultural upheaval, or economic degeneration - the Third Space Catalogue offers a solution. People connected to their community are happier, more resistant to mental and physical illness, and have a greater life expectancy by up to fifteen years. Areas with high community engagement have lower crime rates, higher property values, and increased civic trust. 


Why? You will likely find friends in a third space but more simply you will become acquainted with your neighbors. Because of this, you become more invested in your community’s success. You will find the people who will let you borrow an egg, who will take your dog on a walk when you’re feeling sick, who will bring you extra candles in a power outage. 


A group of people in a church service clapping and smiling, with a man speaking at the front in the background.
People enjoying a beach party at sunset with a stage, string lights, and the ocean in the background.

What does 3SC do?

The Third Space Catalogue uniquely addresses the problem by supporting both individuals and third space owners. We help make third spaces better, more visible, and more locally independent.

  1. The Finder: We are developing a map of third spaces that can be filtered by distance, cost, and other categories. 

  2. Microgrants: We are providing microgrants to third space owners that have a low-cost idea of how to increase attendance.

  3. Events: At “Third Space Show and Tells,” owners will be invited to advertise their space at a free community festival, so individuals can browse that spaces available to them.