Rural Community Building

CommunityMatters Hosts Free Conference Call on Third Places

On Thursday, September 13 from 4-5 pm Eastern, CommunityMatters®  will host a free conference call on “Third Places” featuring third place-builder Karen True of the Alliance for Pioneer Square and Mike Knutson of MAK(e) Strategies, an expert and blogger on rural economic development and third places and consultant to Rural Housing Solutions.

You can find more on Third Places from the the ReImagine Rural blog.

According to their September 6 blog post, Where Everybody Knows Your Name, “your “first place” is home, where you kick back and relax. Your “second place” is work, where (let’s be honest) you may spend most of your time. But where’s your “third place” – the place where you meet, connect, hang out, and catch the local vibe? It’s critical for people to have “a place where everybody knows your name,” but just as critical for communities to have third places. These hangouts and gathering places boost the economy, strengthen community networks, build local character and culture, and increase engagement.

But if you can create a space that meets those criteria, Mike says that your community – whether rural or urban, large or small – will be much better off. Third places attract youth and tourists, they improve quality of life and the business climate, and they add a healthy “dose of cool.” Check out Mike’s Top Ten Reasons Third Places Matter to Rural Communities or join us on the phone next week to hear more.”

CommunityMatters®  is a commons for individuals and organizations working to steer change, engage citizens and build strong, vibrant communities from the ground up.  CommunityMatters is a project of the Orton Family Foundation, in collaboration with other partners.

Register here.