So, do you want to be part of a community?
What it takes to be part of a community and some of the most inspiring third spaces around the world
“I really love your words and feel incredibly seen in your writing” - Natalia V., reader of apartamento 710.
The apartment I currently live at with my partner is a one bed, one-bath in the middle of downtown Vancouver. As much we love the convenience of living so close to work, or how we can walk or bike everywhere, we often feel lonely here, confined in our tall building with no real space to socialize or meet people from our community.
Living here has made value the third spaces around me immensely, and become a more active member of my society by visiting these spaces more, donating and volunteering my time whenever I can. During this time it has also been sad to see how these spaces shrink or completely disappear (like our local community garden that was demolished to build a huge tower), due to the lack of resources and support.
In my previous piece about third spaces, I shared some words from surrealist painter Giorgio de Chirico on how these spaces are slowly disappearing from our society and how dangerous this can be for our well-being.
‘In the face of the increasingly materialist and pragmatic orientation of our age…it would not be eccentric in the future to contemplate a society in which those who live for the pleasures of the mind will no longer have the right to demand their place in the sun. The writer, the thinker, the dreamer, the poet, the metaphysician, the observer…he who tries to solve a riddle or to pass judgment will become an anachronistic figure of the heart like the ichthyosaur and the mammoth”.
The third spaces in my community saved me in a time where I felt so lonely and depressed after moving to Canada in 2021. Back home I had a strong and supportive network of family and friends. I am from a culture that values community, and I didn’t expect that moving to such an individualistic city would affect my mental health that much. Back home, I didn’t have to plan a friend’s date weeks in advance, I would simply ask them if they were home and open to receiving me to catch up. I lived in a house with a backyard and fig trees, and here, I don’t even have a balcony to feel the sun or get a breath of fresh air in the morning. Don’t get me wrong; I made the choice to move here, and I still make the choice every day to stay, but it can be to make connections in a new city, even more so in a new country.
Slowly, I started finding little hidden gems around the city where I could stay without necessarily spending a lot of money. My local coffee shop with great natural light, my community center where I play ping pong or check out exhibitions from local artists, and the library where I spend hours reading, drawing, writing and daydreaming. These spaces were key for me to start feeling like I truly belonged here. They were also an escape from my little apartment, where I needed to feel less lonely and part of a community. Even if I didn’t speak with someone, I was integrating slowly into the buzz of the city.
It breaks my heart that these spaces are disappearing from our communities because they don’t bring enough lucrative benefits to society. Since they are accessible for free, or almost free, they are not useful under the rules of our capitalist society. If you take only one thing from today’s newsletter, it is the importance of us supporting these spaces, and fighting to preserve them like our lives depend on it, because in a way, it does!
Some ideas to help in the preservation of third spaces, and find a community that you can be part of.
Volunteer: We need more people volunteering and organizing events to bring people together at these spaces. Sign up to help at the next block party, spend time at your community garden helping the elders or offer to host a workshop at your local library on a topic you are passionate about. The thing here is to be active members of these spaces so they continue operating and bringing people together.
Find an activity that you enjoy and commit to it: Being part of a real community takes time and effort. Social media has given us the false impression that being part of a community revolves around likes and comments, but that is not really belonging. Those are superficial ways of connecting. My advice is that you genuinely find an activity you like doing (joining a run club, art lessons at your community center, etc ) and stick to it. Over time, you will start to make connections that can become good friendships.
Doing research for this piece, I came across incredible third spaces around the world that, although they seem very far away from me right now, give me hope and motivate me to be an advocate for the preservation of third spaces in my city.
Here is a round-up of the most beautiful, interesting, and inspiring third spaces in different communities around the world that make me hopeful.
Bathhouses in Japan
I recently watched Perfect Days and can’t recommend it enough! The film does a great job at emphasizing the importance of having a community to rely on, as well as dedicated spaces that are accessible and affordable where we can decompress outside of our home. Every day after his shift ends, the main character of the movie goes to a public bathhouse in Tokyo, where he takes a shower, and then spends the rest of his afternoon in the sauna or in the TV room with more people from the neighbourhood. The movie is set in the 2010s, but Hirayama, the protagonist, still has a dummy phone and a film camera and listens to cassettes. Every weekend, he visits the same local spots: a bookstore where he buys a new book to read during the week, a laundry shop around the corner, a store where he develops his film and the same local bar, where he is friends with all the locals. This movie reminded me of the importance of having these third spaces near us, and also that we should all invest more in our local small businesses.
Market Hall in Wrocław, Poland
I had the opportunity to visit this public market in Wrocław back in 2017. Designed by Richard Plüddemann and completed in 1908, this building feels like a majestic, old train station, but it is actually the home of dozens of vendors that sell fresh produce (I ate the best pomelo of my life here), meat, baked goods and more. It is also a meeting place for many locals that go there to spend time with friends, drinking beer. It is one of the most vibrant places I have ever witnessed and I have been dreaming of going back ever since. In the meantime, Granville Island Public Market and Crystal Market in Vancouver, are my two favorite local public markets. I like visiting them on the weekends, wandering around and chatting with the vendors about the produce they have in season.
Piscinas Naturais do Porto Moniz in Madeira, Portugal
Probably my favorite third space on the list! The natural pools in Madeira, Porto are accessible for free to all locals, and three euros if you are a tourist. According to my friend who was just there, you can spend all day under the sun here, chatting with the locals and having a snack. This is the closest thing to heaven to me right now, as I write this in the middle of winter here in Canada.
Teufelsberg in Berlin, Germany
I was also very lucky to visit this place a few years ago with a local friend. Teufelsberg is an abandoned listening station that was used during the Cold War. Today is a space that hosts studios for local artists and creatives. The place is covered with graffiti and has a coffee shop on the rooftop with an amazing view of the city. This is definitely not a very popular tourist destination (it takes a long time to get there from Downtown Berlin), but you will find a lot of locals hanging out there for sure. I wish we had more of these types of spaces here in Vancouver, and not only the traditional art galleries that sometimes can be very pretentious.
Public Parks in Chiapas, Mexico
Chiapas is one of my favorite places in Mexico. So rich in nature, with the best food, and known for the kindness of the locals. One of the things I loved the most was visiting the city parks every day after dark in Tuxla Gutierrez, where the locals meet to dance to the rhythm of Marimba. The energy here is amazing and welcoming. A common place for people to meet after work, drink and eat dinner with friends and family and simply be.
Thank you for reading! I would love to know in the comments your favorite third space in your community and how you support its preservation!
public libraries ftw!!!
the market hall reminds me of london’s borough market, which I got to see last summer! I think about it ALL the time