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!

Click here for details, including speakers bios.

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