“The Great Good Places, Cafés, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community” by Ray Oldenburg

Summary. Ray Oldenburg defined a place that defines a community. “Third place” is a concept that serves small cities and towns well as they strive to become and remain place where people want to be; welcoming places between home and work. 

 “The Great Good Place argues that “third places” – where people can gather, put aside the concerns of work and home, and hang out simply for the pleasures of good company and lively conversation – are the heart of a community’s social vitality and the grassroots of democracy.”