Affordability is crucial for building genuine connection in today’s day and age.
Kayla Price (she/they) // Contributing Writer
Lily Jones (she/her) // Contributing Visuals
Third spaces are environments free of charge where people can bond and socialize outside of work, school and home. This past summer, third spaces took the spotlight during the Vancouver World Cup that was organized by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). With the influx of tourism drawn in by FIFA, public watch parties proved to be integral environments for community building and positive social connection. In its aftermath, we have the opportunity to push our governments to continue to prioritize funding for accessible communal spaces.
With such large numbers of locals and visitors looking for spaces to see the matches, the City of Vancouver introduced the Granville Street Pedestrian Zone. The area was a five-block stretch between West Georgia and Davie Street. It was zoned off as a third space for folks to mingle and cheer on their favourite teams, complete with big screens to watch the World Cup.
It had multiple public washrooms available, additional seating, patio set-ups and accessibility ramps, allowing large numbers of people to enjoy the space at no cost. Public art installations lined the streets too. On an unsuspecting Tuesday back in June, I was surprised to come across an eight-foot-tall metal banana peel in the middle of the sidewalk, one of several fun coloured statues set up in the area.
Unlike paid spaces like cafes and restaurants where cost is often a barrier to entry—especially in this economy—those five blocks on Granville Street were a low-pressure social environment for meeting up with existing friends and making new ones. The city funded a variety of public programming and free entertainment throughout the rest of the summer months, in areas that were previously used to watch the game. The pedestrian zone downtown was one of multiple similar watch party environments set up for the tournament, including at the new Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) Amphitheatre and on Granville Island.
Out of the three, Vancouver extended Granville Street’s pedestrian zone for seven weeks after the World Cup ended and it stayed car-free up until Labour Day. Free cotton candy and live music shows were some of my favourites that the city funded in order to draw pedestrians to the area.
While it was a festive extension that saw a large turnout and positive responses from attendees, the decision to fund the pedestrian zone was rushed through City Council in a matter of days. It exceeded the initial projected budget by more than one million dollars. The tight timeframe meant there wasn’t much room for discussion. The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) lacked transparency about how they allocated their budget, deploying an excessive police presence to the area that I feel wasn’t necessary. This highlights both the demand for adequate city funding of third spaces and the need for more advanced planning for said budgets.
During FIFA, third spaces for watching soccer sprouted a lot of camaraderie. You can find countless videos online of crowds, big and small, celebrating collectively. People were dancing and cheering with each other regardless of which team was playing, as they shared the highs and lows of every game. Watching the games in a social environment created a localized social club across the city.
As someone who doesn’t watch sports much, this community-building aspect of the World Cup is something I really appreciated seeing across Vancouver this summer. We need more of these types of physical environments in order to tackle the loneliness epidemic our generation is living through. The tournament was common ground for people to interact, but well-funded third spaces were the grounds that made it possible.
Third spaces can look very different from the carless streets of downtown. Public parks and beaches are great weather-permitting options with plenty of space and scenery to enjoy. Libraries and community centres on the other hand are great indoor options. They both host a variety of free and affordable programming all year round, across a variety of activities like drop-in sports, live shows, art workshops, and skill-building events.
The common root between all communities is the need for a common space for people to gather. There’s something about in-person third spaces that social media and other digital landscapes just can’t replicate. We’ve seen the success of third spaces from the Granville Street Pedestrian Zone and other FIFA programming.
As we head into the colder season, more intentional planning and funding towards indoor third spaces will become necessary. It’s becoming clearer to people and our municipal governments alike that there is a demand for free and low-cost social environments. Municipal elections are coming up, so it’s more important than ever to come together as a community and vote for officials who care about community-building spaces.