Karen Christensen talks about her discovery that third places have been left out of academic writing on social capital and social life. Meanwhile, the terms “third place” and “third space” are surging in general conversation and in planning and architectural circles, especially since the pandemic. She proposes that these humble but vital pieces of the mosaic of public life have to observed and studied in real life, and aren’t amenable to being turned into data sets for AI processing. These books are discussed in the show:

1995 Rheingold, Howard, The virtual community: finding connection in a computerized world

2001 Putnam, Robert, Bowling alone: the collapse and revival of American community

2015 Turkle, Sherry, Reclaiming conversation: the power of talk in a digital age

2018 Klinenberg, Eric, Palaces for the people: how social infrastructure can help fight inequality, polarization, and the decline of civic life

2021 Murthy, Vivek, Together: loneliness, health and what happens when we find connection

2024 Moreno, Carlos, The 15-Minute City: A Solution to Saving Our Time and Our Planet

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