The Great
Good Place by Ray Oldenburg (1989)
“In the absence of informal public life, living becomes more
expensive. Where the means and
facilities for relaxation and leisure are not publicly shared, they become the
objects of private ownership and consumption.”
p. 11
The Third Place
“The third place is a generic designation for a great
variety of public places that host the regular, voluntary, informal, and
happily anticipated gatherings of individuals beyond the realms of home and
work.” P. 16
- Basic
requirements for public places
- The
full spectrum of local humanity is represented (p. 14)
- Human
scale has been preserved (p. 14)
- There
is a balance in the three realms of daily life—domestic, productive, and
sociable (p. 15)
- Where
third places remain vital, it is far more because they are prolific than
prominent (p. 17)
- The
Character of Third Places (pp. 20-42)
- Neutral
ground
- Leveling
(status, personal problems & moodiness)
- Conversation
is the main activity
i.
Art of conversation (p. 28)
ii.
Emphasize style over vocabulary (p. 28)
iii.
Anything that interrupts flow of conversation is deadly
(p. 30)
- Accessibility
and Accommodation (time and location)
- The
Regulars
- Low
Profile
- Playful
Mood
- Home
Away from Home
- Personal
Benefits of Third Places (pp. 41-65)
- Novelty
- Perspective
- Spiritual
tonic
- Friends
by the set
- The
Greater Good (pp. 66-85)
- Grassroots
politics
- Habit
of association
- Agency
of Control & a force for good
- Fun
with the lid kept on
- Outposts
of the public domain
- Types
of Third Places
- German-American
Beer Gardens
- Main
Street
- English
Pub
- French
Café
- American
tavern
- Classic
Coffeehouses