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Community speakers link rising loneliness to loss of 'third places', cite Strong Towns and Putnam
Summary
At a community meeting, speakers argued that the decline of low-cost public 'third places'—parks, libraries and informal gathering spots—has increased social isolation; a Strong Towns member and others recommended design changes to restore everyday encounters that build social capital.
Speakers at a community meeting tied rising loneliness among residents to the decline of informal public spaces known as 'third places.' Speaker 5, who identified their group as Strong Towns, said the nonprofit’s focus on 'place making' informed the discussion and pointed to decades of scholarship showing social capital erodes when everyday public spaces disappear.
"I don't think we're talking enough about isolation," Speaker 5 said, framing the issue as the physical…
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