Sprawled Out: The Search for Community in the American Suburb: Third place coffeehouses and coworking sites as economic development tools

April 13, 2008

Third place coffeehouses and coworking sites as economic development tools

Ray Oldenburg, an urban sociologist from Florida (and author of the book The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community) writes about the importance of informal public gathering places: "Houses alone do not a community make, and the typical subdivision proved hostile to the emergence of any structure or space utilization beyond the uniform houses and streets that characterized it." Oldenberg argues that "third places" are central to local democracy and community vitality.

But can a community MONETIZE this vitality?

One major commercial development here in Franklin, Shops at Wyndham Village, has already cynically sold out the promise of a true community space - - in what is supposed to be Franklin's City Civic Center District - - as illustrated in restrictions listed in this document, which the City of Franklin had no knowledge of until I brought it to their attention. (Wyndham Village's poor design is compounded by the inclusion of a DRIVE-THRU Starbucks!)

Missed opportunity, to say the least.

As I've noted here before: Why not encourage, through subsidies and other incentives, LOCAL cafes and coffee houses that support a growing population of entrepreneurs and telecommuters as coworking sites while at the same time provide commercial and community vitality in our public spaces? The area surrounding City Hall and the Library is crying out for amenities that would take advantage of the popularity of the Library, proximity to Legend Park, and connections to new commercial developments at Wyndham Village and Legend Creek.

Time to think CREATIVELY.

From Neil Takemoto at CoolTown Studios (emphasis added):

I first profiled Tryst back in 2003 as a popular coffeehouse third place in Adams Morgan, Washington DC. But five years later, ten years after it first opened, it's not only become a neighborhood institution, but it really should be seen as a contemporary model for job creation.

Here's the big picture:

1. A majority of big businesses come from small businesses, and small businesses are started by entrepreneurs... from their homes.

2. Many (not all) entrepreneurs who tried working exclusively from home will tell you one thing - it sucks. No human interaction, no place for meetings, no escape from spending most of your life stuck at home.

3. Coworking sites are ideal, but are often too pricey for the budding entrepreneur.

4. Thus, enter coffeehouses with free wifi and staff trained not to bug you too often if you've decided to park there for most of the workday. The good news is they're packed with entrepreneurs all day. The bad news is that they're not very profitable until they leave.

In the meantime cities are investing tons of capital in contrived business incubators that often fail. Why not redirect that capital into economic development tax breaks for coffeehouses that provide evidence of effectively acting as free workplaces for entrepreneurs?

On the one hand, Tryst makes no money before 6 pm. On the other hand one can't get a seat during the day. It seems to be an economic travesty not to have enough workplaces for the neighborhood entrepreneurs. Proactive cities will overcome this, but it obviously hasn't happened in Adams Morgan yet.

Comments

I can't say enough about the good things going on at Bucketworks. Every additional person that comes through the doors of the facility makes it that much better.

I'll be there all day, everyday this summer coworking in the "Entrepreneur's Greenhouse" once class is out at MSOE for the summer.

Posted by: Jeramey Jannene | April 20, 2008 at 08:31 PM