Author Archives: Deborah Koo

Quick Indie Project – Debbie

My quick indie project can be seen here.

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Thoughts on “Third Places” – Debbie

For our Public Interfaces class, we read the article Our Vanishing “Third Places” by Ray Oldenburg.  He explains that home is our first place, work is our second place, and third places are an escape from both.  He describes them as “informal public gathering places” where people can “gather easily, inexpensively, regularly, and pleasurably” close to home.

As interaction designers, it is second nature to think about the user needs of a community.  Knowing the benefits of these types of places for both newcomers and the existing residents on social well-being and psychological health, it seems that in addition to supporting community clinics and services, there should be more attention placed on creating an environment that encourages entrepreneurs to create/bring back these kinds of places.  Mr. Oldenburg mentions that almost a fifth of the population changes residence every year.  This seems to me like a great opportunity for an enterprising person.

Cultures in which third places exist are ones that believe these places are just “as essential as home and work”.  The increased demand for the services of “helping professions” in the United States as these places disappeared suggests that we need these places just as much.

The author shares an encouraging anecdote about a town that widened the width of a sidewalk and added back parking on the block.  This wider sidewalk made it possible for the coffee shop to add outdoor seating which resulted in more people frequenting the area.  With increased foot traffic, a man started selling newspapers on the corner.  One small change really made a big difference and transformed a coffee shop into a “third place”.  The key is that these places are local, “within walking distance of the people they serve”.

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