In Ray Oldenburg’s book, The Great Good Place, we’re introduced to the idea of Third Places – places we meet to eat, drink, and socialize with friends, family, and acquaintances. In the days of online dating, many of us have met a date for the first time in a coffee shop. As the way we do business continues to evolve, it’s equally normal to see people working daily on laptops in coffee shops, or even conducting job interviews. We celebrate birthdays, engagements, and other life events in restaurants and bars, as well as simply enjoying the company of our friends over lunch or at the end of a long work day.

Our civic society depends on these Third Places. This TEDxScottsdaleSalon focused on the genesis of these places. Our speakers briefly discussed design elements from scale, location, and scope, down to minute visual details. There are also several less immediately quantifiable factors in a space’s success, such as warmth or gregariousness of the staff. How do these diverse elements combine to make a place more than just habitable, but memorable? Better design in (and more of!) these places will make our society more resilient, and better our cities as a result. Take a peek into the process and celebrate some of Metro Phoenix’s best Third Places courtesy of urban advocates Marianne Belardi, Margaret Bruning, Craig DeMarco, and Jeff Fischer.

To view photographs of the event, click here.

Watch the December 7, 2011 videos of our guest speakers

In the news!

• Phoenix New Times Jackalope Ranch (11/28/11)
• Plancast (11/30/11)
• Phoenix New Times Chow Bella (12/1/11)
• Margaret Bruning’s blog (12/4/11)
• Downtown Phoenix Journal (12/6/11)
• Beer PHXation blog (12/6/11)
• Blooming Rock blog (12/8/11)
• Downtown Phoenix Journal (12/8/11)

Click here for details, including speakers bios.

A collaborative approach to life is a human way of life that many of us no longer notice, and it is essential to social resilience.

Science and improvisational theater are two professions that simply could not exist without intimate collaboration and mutual trust.

Mutual trust is diminishing between science and society in America today.  If this continues, our social resilience will be further damaged, at a critical time in our history.

Biodesign Institute is making a bold step toward society – requiring it’s Doctoral candidate researchers to render their work for non-scientists.  Four of their best have stepped up to the challenge and you will be intrigued and inspired to see what breakthrough medical research work is being done in the Valley.

One of the Valley’s top Improv groups, Torch Theater’s the Foundation, will start the evening off with one of their signature collaborations with you, the audience.  Lighting the way forward for all of us to learn how to trust the other again.

Ideas worth sharing embedded in an idea worth doing.