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The Great Good Place

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by Ray Oldenburg -- Paragon, New York, NY. 1989 (first edition hardcover) Marlowe and Company, New York, NY. 1999 (paperback)

 

Author

Ray Oldenburg, Ph.D., is a professor of sociology at the University of West Florida. He is frequently sought after as a media commentator and consultant to entrepreneurs, community and urban planners, churches, and others seeking to establish great good places. He lives in Pensacola, Florida.

 

Blurbs

“The Great Good Place argues that ‘third places’ - where people can gather, put aside the concerns of work and home, and hang out simply for the pleasures of good company and lively conversation - are the heart of a community's social vitality and the grassroots of democracy.” -- From the paperback (1989 edition) book cover

“Ray Oldenburg is inspirational. He is the first to recognize and articulate the importance of the greeting place (third place) for the well-being of the individual and society at large.” -- Ron Sher, founder of Third Place Books, Seattle.

“The great value of this book is that Mr. Oldenburg has given us an insightful and extremely useful new lens through which to look at a familiar problem.” -- New York Times Book Review

“This wonderful and utterly important book verifies our need for fun through conversation in 'great good places.' Oldenburg writes passionately of our country's current and urgent problems resulting from our ever-increasing social isolation and provides us with a very simple solution. America must read and react to this rational common-sense solution to salving our stressed lives. And our government needs to promote, permit, and zone responsible neighborhood hospitality, recognizing the value of ‘a vital informal life.’”  -- Lynne Breaux, owner, Tunnicliff's Tavern, Washington, D.C.

 

Why Read It

This book helped me understand the social differences between cities and suburbs, between downtowns and strip centers. Oldenburg coined the phrase, “third place,” which in my opinion is one of the most important ideas in modern city planning and placemaking.


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