Third Places for Strengthening Sustainability and Democracy in Urban Development

“Third places” such as libraries and community centres are becoming increasingly important as social infrastructures for interaction, exchange, and civic engagement. They offer opportunities to strengthen democratic participation, social cohesion, and sustainable development at the local level. At the same time, there has been insufficient research to date on the conditions under which such places reach different population groups, what opportunities and barriers exist, and how both in-person and digital formats for participation can be effectively designed. In particular, the question arises as to what extent “third places” should be designed to engage people who have been underrepresented and often inadequately addressed thus far.

About the project

Against this backdrop, the project aims to identify and analyse the potential and barriers of “third places” in promoting democracy, civic participation, and environmental sustainability, using libraries and community centres in three Thuringian cities of varying sizes as case studies. Another goal is to investigate how this potential can be effectively developed and expanded. The focus is on the cities of Erfurt, Eisenach, and Schmalkalden.

In doing so, the Institute for Urban Research, Planning, and Communication (ISP) at the University of Applied Sciences Erfurt, together with the team from the Chair of Social Sciences of Sustainability at the University of Applied Sciences Erfurt and in close collaboration with practice and cooperation partners, is guided by the following subgoals of the project:

1. Identify the potential and barriers of “third places” for promoting sustainability, participation, and democracy,
2. Develop effective exchange and participation formats to promote participation through sustainability and sustainability through participation, using co-creation, pilot testing, and formative evaluation,
3. Explore further spatial design options to better reach target groups: analyse and incorporate virtual spaces (the metaverse) as well as public spaces in urban neighbourhoods,
4. Consolidate collaborations between Erfurt University of Applied Sciences, the practice partners, and other stakeholders in the practice partners’ urban areas, as well as with regional, supraregional, and national cooperation and knowledge transfer partners on the aforementioned topics,
5. Ensure regional and nationwide knowledge transfer processes through (supraregional) multipliers, exchange formats, and the provision of a toolbox.

Practical Application

At the start of the project, the current state of research on “third places” and their significance for environmental sustainability and democratic participation will be systematically reviewed. In addition, national and international examples of best practices will be analysed. Building on this, the project will use case studies of practical examples in the cities of Erfurt, Eisenach, and Schmalkalden to examine local conditions, stakeholder constellations, and existing formats for use and participation. Perspectives from both practice and academia will also be incorporated through qualitative surveys. As the project progresses, innovative formats for participation and exchange will be developed, tested, and evaluated in collaboration with partners in the field. A particular focus is on how to engage and involve population groups that have been underserved to date. The project combines democratic participation with ecological sustainability, emphasizes co-creative collaboration, and takes into account both analogue and digital spaces. The results will be compiled into a practice-oriented toolbox and disseminated through publications, workshops, expert events, and educational formats in academia, professional practice, and the public. At the same time, the project strengthens long-term collaboration between the university, municipal institutions, and other urban and regional stakeholders.

Scientific Contribution of the Project

The project contributes to interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research on “third places” as social and democratic infrastructures. It expands upon existing research approaches by linking analogue and digital participation formats and empirically examining their potential for sustainability, democracy, and social participation.

Through a combination of a systematic literature review, the analysis of (inter)national examples of best practices, case studies in Thuringia, and the co-creative development and testing of innovative formats, new insights are emerging regarding the mechanisms of action, potential, and barriers of “third places.” In this way, the project contributes both to the theoretical advancement of the research field and to the practice-oriented design of sustainable social infrastructures.

The scientific findings will be published and discussed in relevant national and international journals as well as at academic conferences. Furthermore, with its practice-oriented results, the project also addresses a broader professional audience in municipalities, libraries, neighbourhood centres, and other fields of action related to sustainable and participatory urban development.