According to Oldenburg’s reading The Great Good Place we are in search of a “quest for community”. American’s today are isolating themselves in elaborate suburban homes, typically these suburban lifestyles do not inhibit a sense of community and in turn a reclusive identity is forming with residents of these suburbs.
One can debate that the bigger home an individual owns (their first place), the less they rely on a community place for fulfillment. The example of this home in Waxhaw, North Carolina demonstrates how it and the community around it compensates for the loss of an adequate third place.
Does a big house in the ‘burbs’ fill the void of missing third places?
Waxhaw, North Carolina is an affluent suburb south east of Charlotte. Up until a decade ago, this area was mostly cow pastures and corn fields but the rapid growth of Charlotte as a whole made developing this area desirable by many.
Waxhaw, NC is a S.E. suburb of Charlotte.
While developed suburban neighborhoods have been popping up around this area for years, other communal necessities are slow to follow. Grocery stores and gas stations are typically the first retail developments in this area, and later on chain restaurants, and retail shopping follows.
As I observe homes while driving through Waxhaw, NC each home looks much larger than a home inside the I-485 loop of Charlotte. It’s easy to believe a typical Waxhaw home to have at least 5 bedrooms, large open spaces, a half acre fenced in lot, and great landscaping. The vast home space could(and is) be used as an alternative as a third space.
A pool room invites guests to the home with an opportunity to communicate over a match.
For instance, while in the home pictured above I noticed many areas to invite others to create conversation. This home has an area to play a game of pool, a sitting lounge, and a big backyard patio. These areas are all identifiable characters of a third place, and can aide in escaping the stress involved with daily life.
This formal sitting area promotes conversation with all parties.
Using a really (really) big house as a third place has benefits to people in communities where a third place is not an accessible option, however it lacks being a leveler, meaning “reducing all men to an equality”. Simply stated, using your own home as a third place could not seem equally inviting for every patron entering your property.
The back patio can help to promote the image of a third place in a home.
For instance, at this home, a patron who is not familiar with a formal sitting room might feel intimidated in this space. It is full of expensive furniture, art work, and other decor, it could leave the patron anxious for an escape if they are not accustomed to this type of environment.
This lack of neutral ground is also present with the pool table gaming area. It should be obvious that if someone with a pool table of their own challenges you to a game, they are most likely good at that game. If the challenged opponent is not as familiar with the game, it could limit informal relations among guests. The neutrality of the playing field is compromised by the ownership of the pool table inside of the home.
In conclusion, using a really (really) big home as a third place is a compromise of space. In a bind it can be used, but this should be done sparingly. Public engagement in traditional forms is always recommended and encouraged over using personal space as a third place.
Master Space Talk 