Does spatial context of Third Place matter? Revisiting the Third Place concept based on user preferences

Case of Kolkata, India

Bibliographic Data

ID11436596
AuthorsSulagna De (0000-0001-7793-9073, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, corresponding author), Arup Das (0000-0002-9265-8242, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur), Tarak Nath Mazumder (0000-0002-9684-3517, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur)
Year2025
Volume44
Issue4
Pages674-696
Publication date2025-07-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueLeisure Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0261-4367 • E-ISSN: 1466-4496
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/02614367.2024.2343308
OpenAlexW4394931367
LanguageEN
References cited36

Third Places (TPs), defined by Oldenburg in suburban American context are social informal gathering spaces, except home and workplace. Major literature focused on how TPs create social capital and cohesion within communities, largely benefitting socially, psychologically and even economically. Over the years, the TP concept is contested to globally transform from its initial theme of communitarianism to present dominant forms of neo-liberal consumerism. This posed significant threat to the inherent idea of affordable sociability rooted in characteristic plainness and neutral ground of TP. Moreover, exploring the spatial patterns and the influence of geographical variations on the nature of TP across urban landscapes is largely understudied. This study thus aimed to develop a consolidated understanding of the spatial dynamics of TPs in Indian context. The paper presented a city level, empirical based quantitative study based on online questionnaire survey. Commercial TPs are found to be most preferred. Research findings showed that the types of TP significantly affect the individual's preferred travel distance. Also, one's behavioural attributes as a whole significantly affect the catchment of the TPs, influenced by spatial variations. Hotspot analysis demonstrated three significant spatial concentrations across the city based on distance-based clustering. It showed heterogenous agglomerating tendencies of TP

Archaeology · Context (archaeology · Economic geography · Geography · Sociology · Spatial contextual awareness · Place Attachment and Urban Studies · Urban Transport and Accessibility · Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation Studies

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