Consequential Strangers

An entire chapter of Consequential Strangers is devoted to being space, a term coined by trendwatcher Reinier Evans in 2003 to describe Starbucks and other  commercial environments that did away with harsh fluorescent lighting and plastic chairs, so that customers would be encouraged to hang out.  The sociological underpinnings of the concept are embodied in Ray Oldenburg’s notion of  the “third place.”   Neither home nor office, a third place can be a tavern or coffee shop or public plaza or the lunchroom at a company–any place you can kick back, schmooze, and just be.   And of course the notion of creating these kinds of environments–whether you’re talking about a stores or an entire city–is what propels the new urbanism movement.   Being spaces are safe, civilized, welcoming places where strangers can become consequential strangers.   This video, created by independent filmmaker John Paget, winner of a Congress for the New Urbanism charter award, shows why we need to design and build more being space: