I’m working on a new version of the classic book on the subject, The Great Good Place by Ray Oldenburg, where he coined the term “third place.” I tell the story of how the baton came to be passed to me in a post written after Ray’s death that you can read here. At GreatGoodPlace.org you’ll find details about the original book and its impact, and about the new book and recent press. There are also pieces about Third Places Today in my newsletter.
Here’s a list of books that I’ve found useful. Many more to come.
Oldenburg, Ray, ed. 2001. Celebrating the Third Place: Inspiring Stories about the “Great Good Places” at the Heart of Our Communities. New York: Marlowe & Co.
Solnit, Rebecca. 2009. A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disasters. New York: Viking.
Oldenburg, Ray. 1999. The Great Good Place: Cafés, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community. New York : [Berkeley, Calif.]: Marlowe ; Distributed by Publishers Group West.
Klinenberg, Eric. 2018. Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life. First Edition. New York: Crown.
Sucher, David. 2003. City Comforts: How to Build an Urban Village. 2nd ed., rev. ed. Seattle: City Comforts.
Alexander, Christopher, Sara Ishikawa, and Murray Silverstein. 1977. A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction. New York: Oxford University Press.
