The demise of community as a social construct is re-examined in this book using the lens of Ray Oldenburg's concept of third place to view contemporary issues of alienation, loss, safety, mobility and sense of place. Third places are the spaces where we interact with people and society outside of home and work, and are vital in creating a sense of place and community.

As an essential component of urban life, there is a need to understand the importance of third places and how they can be incorporated into urban design to offer places of interaction, promoting togetherness in an urbanised world of mobility and rapid change. Presenting the latest research on the evolution of third-space thinking, this book explores new conceptual approaches and new ideas about what constitutes a third place: public art locations, cyberspace, music archives, public transport and community gardens.

Rethinking the concept of third places from virtual and geographical perspectives, this book will prove an insightful read for researchers and planners in the fields of sociology and urban planning as well as urban, social and cultural geography.

Contributors include: S. Alidoust, S. Baker, D. Beynon, C. Bosman, J. Cilliers, J. Dolley, S. Driessen, L.M. Farahani, S. Fullagar, G. Holden, L. Istvandity, D. Kim, K. Lloyd, W. O'Brien, D. O'Hare, C. Strong, D. Williams, S. Woolcock

About the Author
Edited by Joanne Dolley, Cities Research Institute, Griffith University and Caryl Bosman, Griffith School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia

Reviews
'This is a brilliant book for insight into the meaning and relevance of the informal public gathering places in modern societies. If you want to understand the spatiality of third places, and how and why we interact in informal public places, this edited book with 11 bright chapters is worthwhile for sure.'
--Jens Troelsen, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark

'The exponential growth of third places is symptomatic of a crisis of public space in our urban societies. What Rethinking Third Places reveals is that they are also places open to hope with the possible realization of the commons and the right to the city.'
--Raphael Besson, Villes Innovation, France and PACTE, Spain

Book Information
ISBN 9781786433909
Author Joanne Dolley
Format Hardback
Page Count 240
Imprint Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
Publisher Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd