Together: Strategies for Promoting Health and Community in Privately Owned Third Places

Report Summary: Third places—the places beyond homes and workplaces where people have opportunities to connect with others—are important components of a community. Privately owned spaces—stores, restaurants, and the like—are common places where people come together for small, daily interactions.

These spaces have the power to provide opportunities to local residents, foster community connections, be a common ground for civic discussion, and become economic drivers—all of which directly and indirectly contribute to the physical, mental, and social health and well-being of community members and visitors.

Together: Strategies for Promoting Health and Community in Privately Owned Third Places, supported by the Bucksbaum Family Foundation, uses research and interviews conducted over the course of a year to outline opportunities and strategies that can be adopted by developers, property owners and managers, business owners, and design teams alike to create commercial environments that are inclusive and responsive, promote health and community well-being, and are economically successful.

Opportunity 1: Use Design to Support a Sense of Community

Design decisions in privately owned, publicly accessible third places can create community connections and foster understanding and trust among residents and patrons.

Strategies:

• Blur the Public and Private Realms: Invite the community into publicly accessible third places by removing physical barriers to entry, including signage that welcomes people in, and using creative and vibrant plantings. Design strategies that soften the edges between the public and private realms can create spaces that are more likely to be perceived as welcoming and inclusive, which in turn enhances interaction and the desire to linger.
• Create Comfortable, Inclusive, Flexible Gathering Spaces: Design spaces to be welcoming and inclusive to people of all ages, races, and abilities by engaging with the existing community to identify and meet community needs. Flexibility such as moveable chairs and tables allows spaces to adapt to the changing needs of people and communities over the short and long terms.
• Design for Multimodal Access and Active Transportation: Provide infrastructure that encourages biking and walking and contributes to a robust multimodal transportation system. High-quality end-of-trip facilities and resources for bicyclists- including ample short- and long-term bicycle parking, publicly accessible bicycle repair stands, bicycle education, and shower and changing room facilities for employees- can promote biking.

Opportunity 2: Promote a Strong, Inclusive Local Economy

Privately owned and operated third places can foster sustainable local economies that elevate and grow communities by attracting and preserving local talent and businesses.

Strategies:

• Design and Develop Projects with Needs of Small Businesses in Mind: Attract and support small businesses by creating shared resources such as kitchens, restrooms, and trash collection facilities. Offering commercial and other retail spaces of varying sizes helps increase access and opportunity for small business owners.
• Help Ensure Business Success by Fostering a Network of Resources: Developers and project owners can help establish networks for the small businesses in their projects, making connections both among the business owners and to organizations that provide technical expertise for business management tasks, as well as marketing and event planning that may be critical to business promotion.
• Co-Invest with Tenants: Developers and owners can underscore their commitment to tenant success- and cultivate up-and-coming business owners- by entering into rental agreements that are tied to gross sales or revenues. These arrangements, which might involve a base rent plus a percentage of gross sales, help align tenant and owner business interests.

Opportunity 3: Create Places and Programs That Address Community Needs

Privately owned third places that address the needs of a community, in terms of community events and retail options, can help bring community members together to build and reinforce these systems.

Strategies:

• Implement Feedback Mechanisms to Learn Needs of the Community: Prioritize hearing directly from local community members and community-based organizations through community engagement processes or local planning community processes. The support of a community has a direct impact on the success of a development endeavor or business.
• Design Programming and Events That Meet Community Needs: Use publicly accessible gathering spaces for events and programs that engage community members and create opportunities for social interaction and celebration. Programs can support and celebrate community culture, through relevant food, events, and art. Supporting the expression of cultural identity can celebrate the rich cultural background of an area and help the businesses and local community thrive.
• Use Public Input to Seek Community-Supportive Businesses: Community conversations, particularly at the onset of a new project, can help developers understand not only what types of events are of interest but also what new businesses or other commercial uses might be needed in the community.

Case Studies

Case studies in the report include:

• Weaver Street Market Food Co-op (Carrboro, North Carolina)
• Bikes Together Workshop and Retail Store (Denver, Colorado)
• Commercial Development at Mercy Housing Communities (State of California)
• Hecho en Westwood Collective (Denver, Colorado)
• Chicago’s Pullman Neighborhood and One Eleven Food Hall (Chicago, Illinois)
• Crocker Park Lifestyle Center (Westlake, Ohio)
• Copper Bamboo Salon and Retail Store (New Orleans, Louisiana)

The report includes a full description of each opportunity and strategy, along with brief case studies which highlight the strategies in practice.

Please provide any feedback on this report here. All comments are welcome and help the Building Healthy Places Initiative develop future publications.