The rise of single-person households and remote work has highlighted the need for strong social connections. To combat loneliness, Canada is seeing a surge in multi-functional spaces that bridge the gap between home and work.
Of all Canadian households, those composed of one person have been the most widespread (30%) in recent years. For some European countries (Germany, Finland, Norway), this proportion is more than 40%. Whether you live alone or not, the periods of lockdown and the progression of home-working during the pandemic have caused loneliness in many living environments, highlighting the importance of socialisation. To get out of isolation, it is necessary to repair the social fabric, promote encounters to generate exchanges, creation and happiness.
It is especially in this spirit that a large number of third places have emerged. Very widespread in France, this type of social infrastructure has been budding in Quebec for a few years. Basically, it has its origins in the concept of third place, stated in the 1980s by American sociologist Ray Oldenburg. It designates a place between home and the workplace to socialise informally, to meet others. It can be a café, a bar, a church, etc.
Today, the term third place evokes multifunctional places that offer meeting spaces, increasingly for co-working, but also for other very varied uses. Often derived from citizen projects, they are sometimes converted into underused buildings ceded by the municipality. We go there to participate in workshops, take part in social innovation laboratories, attend shows, exhibitions, shop at farmer's markets, etc.
As indicated by the organisation France Tiers-lieu (in French), which brings together some 3,500 sites, these places are vectors of ecological transition, local manufacturing, social links, sustainable food and citizen participation.
This is the case of Maison Mère (in French), a third place inaugurated in 2017 in Baie-Saint-Paul, in the former convent of the Petites Franciscaines de Marie. The rehabilitation of this heritage complex, whose management is assigned to an non-profit organisation, now makes it possible to welcome people who wish to take advantage of the places to co-work (price grid according to duration) or to develop a project and connect with other entrepreneurs on site. Home-workers can get the Gîte et cogite package (in French) for a work retreat, by staying at the Auberge des Balcons, which occupies a section of the former convent. The site also has a museum route (in French).
But this hybrid approach to spaces is not the exclusivity of third place. Some churches in Quebec regain their unifying character through an adaptation of their vocation. The transformation of church of the community of Saint-Camille, in the Eastern Townships, is a convincing example of this. It is the heart of the Destination Saint-Camille project, which consists of an "exploded" congress centre in rural areas. A cooperative made up of tourist actors from the area has therefore taken over the management of the former village church to make it a multifunctional place that hosts congresses, training, shows and other cultural events.
The community of Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, in the Centre-du-Québec, is also mobilised around a project where the church is a real lever for dynamisation. The Coop du Cœur de Sainte-Clotilde has just acquired the building that will develop a rich cultural scene, but also a citizen space where people can work, discuss their projects over a coffee, create a synergy effect by sharing ideas and skills, as you can see here.
The library community is in transformation. According to urban development professor Richard Florida, the library could become a centrepiece of social infrastructure in the coming years. More than a building with book collections, it becomes a real crossroads for sharing and innovation.
The Helsinki Central Library - named Oodi - is the perfect example of this. This "Salon of the Nation" was inaugurated in December 2018. A third of its area is allocated to books. The rest is occupied by playgrounds, music studios, co-working areas, cafés, rooms to learn sewing, cooking, to experience 3D printing, in short, by a host of activities and opportunities for exchange and creation. This library, which is intended to be the meeting point of the Finns, arouses a lot of curiosity from tourists.
The hybridisation of places makes it possible to maximise the use of resources and infrastructure. Third places and other multiple meeting spaces are certainly part of the solutions for a socio-ecological transition of urban nuclei.
This article can be found in the 2023 Trends Notebook (Cahier Tendances 2023) produced by the Transat Tourism Chair team.
Of all Canadian households, those composed of one person have been the most widespread (30%) in recent years. For some European countries (Germany, Finland, Norway), this proportion is more than 40%. Whether you live alone or not, the periods of lockdown and the progression of home-working during the pandemic have caused loneliness in many living environments, highlighting the importance of socialisation. To get out of isolation, it is necessary to repair the social fabric, promote encounters to generate exchanges, creation and happiness.
It is especially in this spirit that a large number of third places have emerged. Very widespread in France, this type of social infrastructure has been budding in Quebec for a few years. Basically, it has its origins in the concept of third place, stated in the 1980s by American sociologist Ray Oldenburg. It designates a place between home and the workplace to socialise informally, to meet others. It can be a café, a bar, a church, etc.
Today, the term third place evokes multifunctional places that offer meeting spaces, increasingly for co-working, but also for other very varied uses. Often derived from citizen projects, they are sometimes converted into underused buildings ceded by the municipality. We go there to participate in workshops, take part in social innovation laboratories, attend shows, exhibitions, shop at farmer's markets, etc.
As indicated by the organisation France Tiers-lieu (in French), which brings together some 3,500 sites, these places are vectors of ecological transition, local manufacturing, social links, sustainable food and citizen participation.
This is the case of Maison Mère (in French), a third place inaugurated in 2017 in Baie-Saint-Paul, in the former convent of the Petites Franciscaines de Marie. The rehabilitation of this heritage complex, whose management is assigned to an non-profit organisation, now makes it possible to welcome people who wish to take advantage of the places to co-work (price grid according to duration) or to develop a project and connect with other entrepreneurs on site. Home-workers can get the Gîte et cogite package (in French) for a work retreat, by staying at the Auberge des Balcons, which occupies a section of the former convent. The site also has a museum route (in French).
But this hybrid approach to spaces is not the exclusivity of third place. Some churches in Quebec regain their unifying character through an adaptation of their vocation. The transformation of church of the community of Saint-Camille, in the Eastern Townships, is a convincing example of this. It is the heart of the Destination Saint-Camille project, which consists of an "exploded" congress centre in rural areas. A cooperative made up of tourist actors from the area has therefore taken over the management of the former village church to make it a multifunctional place that hosts congresses, training, shows and other cultural events.
The community of Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, in the Centre-du-Québec, is also mobilised around a project where the church is a real lever for dynamisation. The Coop du Cœur de Sainte-Clotilde has just acquired the building that will develop a rich cultural scene, but also a citizen space where people can work, discuss their projects over a coffee, create a synergy effect by sharing ideas and skills, as you can see here.
The library community is in transformation. According to urban development professor Richard Florida, the library could become a centrepiece of social infrastructure in the coming years. More than a building with book collections, it becomes a real crossroads for sharing and innovation.
The Helsinki Central Library - named Oodi - is the perfect example of this. This "Salon of the Nation" was inaugurated in December 2018. A third of its area is allocated to books. The rest is occupied by playgrounds, music studios, co-working areas, cafés, rooms to learn sewing, cooking, to experience 3D printing, in short, by a host of activities and opportunities for exchange and creation. This library, which is intended to be the meeting point of the Finns, arouses a lot of curiosity from tourists.
The hybridisation of places makes it possible to maximise the use of resources and infrastructure. Third places and other multiple meeting spaces are certainly part of the solutions for a socio-ecological transition of urban nuclei.
This article can be found in the 2023 Trends Notebook (Cahier Tendances 2023) produced by the Transat Tourism Chair team.
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