Throughout my lifetime, I never payed much attention to businesses and third places – as Oldenburg would refer to them. This may be because I grew up in a very secluded, Jewish community, where there wasn’t much encounter with people of different cultures or ethnicities. Therefore, while reading, I found these articles to be very interesting and enlightening.
Oldenburg made me realize the importance of such businesses and places he refers to as “neutral grounds/ third places” These places give neighbors the opportunity to socialize and learn about each other’s culture. Without such places, neighbors who live side by side could potentially never converse or collaborate. This would ultimately create a world in which people merely coexist.
However, America, the land of the free, represents more than just a place for people to simply coexist. In fact, living in New York helped me develop a great appreciation for diversity and opportunity to learn beyond myself and my family.
Unfortunately, we live in a world where discrimination and prejudice does exist. Which leads me to agree with Oldenburg when he suggests that third places are levelers. In these places every person no matter race, religion, ethnicity etc. is equivalent to one another. They are joined together by a common interest or hobby that goes beyond things that define people and that speaks directly to humanity. After all, that is the one thing everyone has in common – at the end of the day we are all human.
As I continued to read about the concept of a neighborhood and diversity, Zulik brought up the importance of small business stores and the culture they bring. He concludes that a city only survives on the basis of diversity – and it is the job of the government to make sure that there is space for everyone to live and express their culture.
After all, “small storefront businesses carry an important part of a neighborhood’s genetic code. They help to define and reproduce its identity, connecting its past to its present and, perhaps, its future.” – Benediktsson
Therefore, by preventing the existance of these stores and of third places we are ultimately jeopardizing the diversity of our future.
