When walking through Gżira on a warm summer night, it’s not unusual to step across a conversation between locals discussing the weather or politics. In Malta, outdoor public spaces such as promenades, squares and parks act as vital hangout places, where neighbours meet, have a chat and build relationships.
The idea of public, social places where people come together has been around for centuries, but it was only in 1982 that American sociologists Ramon Oldenburg and Dennis Brissett first defined the term “third place” to better grasp what they mean to us.
Third places are those venues where we spend time between home (the ‘first’ place) and work (the ‘second’ place), where people from diverse communities interact and connect with others or with the place itself, where we exchange experiences, build relationships, collaborate or simply find the comfort and support we need ‒ as Oldenburg himself observed after converting his two-car garage into a bar open to everyone.
Such places are important as they can spark community involvement and collaborative efforts
Examples of third places include cafes, parks, churches, maker spaces, public libraries, galleries, theatres and museums, but also “virtual spaces” that offer accessible opportunities on a “neutral ground”.
Such places are important as they can spark community involvement and collaborative efforts, offering a venue for people with different backgrounds to meet and design innovative solutions to the complex challenges of our times: climate change, social inclusion, effective education and urban development to name a few.
An inspiring third place can be found in Bochum, Germany, namely the KoFrabrik ‒ a former ironwork converted into a community-oriented place, where the neighbourhood, project makers and companies meet, organise activities and jointly shape their living space and community. The co-working areas, theatre and community garden bring together neighbours, freelancers and small companies to enrich the quarter with new, inspiring places for local entrepreneurship and sustainable making.
The building also hosted the SciCultureD course ‒ co-organised by the Science Communication Team in the Department of Mathematics and Science Education of the University of Malta ‒ a five-day event that enabled international participants and local stakeholders to design and implement a third place through creativity and arts.
Whether quiet streets or open buildings, these venues provide people with a subtle feeling of being connected and being part of a community, both key for productivity, creativity and sustainability. The COVID-19 pandemic showed the importance of indoor and outdoor hangouts; now some are coming back stronger than ever by bringing together communities and transforming areas into places people want to live.
SciCultureD is an Erasmus+ project, led by the University of Malta together with Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway, city2science, Germany, and Science View, Greece. It aims to nurture transdisciplinarity and innovative problem solving through the blending of arts, science and entrepreneurship. Funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union. The project has been funded with support from the European Commission. scicultured.eu
Sound Bites
• In testing the genetic material of current populations in Africa and comparing against existing fossil evidence of early Homo sapiens populations there, researchers have uncovered a new model of human evolution ‒ overturning previous beliefs that a single African population gave rise to all humans.
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230517121424.htm
• Fifty-three per cent of the world’s largest freshwater lakes are in decline, storing less water than they did three decades ago, according to a new study. The study analysed satellite observations dating back decades to measure changes in water levels in nearly 2,000 of the world’s biggest lakes and reservoirs. It found that climate change, human consumption and sedimentation are responsible.
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230518172007.htm
For more science news, listen to Radio Mocha on www.fb.com/RadioMochaMalta/.
Did You Know?
• An astronaut without a space suit could survive around two minutes in space.
• Human DNA has genes from around eight retroviruses.
• Most of the human brain is dedicated to unconscious thoughts and actions.
Photo of the Week
Photo: Edward DucaThe KoFabrik in Bochum, Germany, is a third place, a place were the community around this garden (pictured) meets, organise activities and jointly shape their living space. The local council entrusted an NGO to take over the KoFabrik who use rent from companies and tenants to transform the neighbourhood. Tenants have to spend time making the community better. They have transformed a green area used for pet litter into a community garden with flowers, picnic furniture and flower beds. They organise events and activities that the community wants. Now, how do we bring this to Malta?