{"id":70457,"date":"2025-06-12T08:15:33","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T12:15:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/?p=70457"},"modified":"2025-06-11T16:36:59","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T20:36:59","slug":"op-ed-their-third-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2025\/06\/12\/op-ed-their-third-space\/","title":{"rendered":"OP-ED: Their Third Space"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a new phrase floating around our house since March Break ended. My 15-year-old came home and declared, \u201cI\u2019ve outgrown summer camp.\u201d He said it in that matter-of-fact way only teens can, somewhere between independence and impatience. \u201cI\u2019ve got a bike, I\u2019ve got my Presto card, I just want to hang with the boys.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a parent, that hit different. \u201cWhy don\u2019t you want to hang out with me?\u201d<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t just about one kid aging out of crafts and campfire songs. It was a quiet declaration of autonomy: the desire to have access to spaces that weren\u2019t controlled by adults, dictated by pickup schedules, or cordoned off by entry fees. It was a teen saying: I want a space all to my own.<\/p>\n

Sociologist Ray Oldenburg introduced the idea of \u201cthird places,\u201d<\/a> the crucial social environments that exist between home (first space) and work or school (second space). Think libraries, community centres, skateparks, even food courts and basketball courts. Third spaces are where we form habits of public life, find belonging, and feel free to just be.<\/p>\n

But how often do we think about what those spaces look like for youth in our city?<\/p>\n

A Different Kind of Urban Infrastructure<\/h2>\n

When we talk about city-building, it\u2019s easy to default to transit lines or new condo towers. But I\u2019d argue that our greatest assets are the spaces where young people can grow, connect, and imagine their futures. And that often happens in third spaces.<\/p>\n

This came up in a recent panel<\/a> I had the pleasure of hosting through Canada\u2019s Placemaking Community<\/a>, called Their Third Space: Exploring the Power of Community Spaces for Youth<\/em>. We featured leaders like Chris Crooks<\/a> from the Cambridge Bay Wrestling Club, Stacie Smith of the Young Canadians Roundtable, and Robyn Dalton<\/a> of LOVE (Quebec). We explored how community-led spaces, from bike repair shops to art hubs to wrestling gyms, offer more than programming. They offer mentorship, identity formation, and a rare kind of freedom.<\/p>\n

We need to be real about what makes these spaces accessible. As I said during that session:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve gotta take the time to listen. When we\u2019re looking at places catering to young people, we\u2019re asking: Is this place easy to get to without a parent? Is it safe? Is it free?\u201d<\/p>\n

Because if it\u2019s not, then who is it really for?<\/p>\n

Meeting Youth Where They Are<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s also be honest about how we engage youth in city planning. Most teens aren\u2019t lining up to attend public consultations or submit feedback through the City\u2019s Planning Portal<\/a>. That doesn\u2019t mean they don\u2019t care; it means we\u2019re not meeting them where they are.<\/p>\n

Why not go to them? Bring the planning process into classrooms, libraries, or community centres. Let them design a community mural, a pop-up skate spot, or a bike lane extension. When we sideline youth voices, we don\u2019t just miss out on good ideas, we teach them their input doesn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a detriment to not include young people,\u201d I said during the panel, \u201cbecause what you\u2019re teaching them right there and then is that their voice doesn\u2019t matter\u2026 and only these other people, older, whiter, more affluent, matter. We need to break that cycle.\u201d<\/p>\n

In too many Toronto neighbourhoods, basketball nets were removed from parks because some adults complained about noise. What signal does that send? That kids don\u2019t belong in public? That their joy is a disruption?<\/p>\n

Thank Goodness Someone Saved Our Basketball Nets<\/h2>\n

That basketball net example isn\u2019t hypothetical. Just a few years ago, it was official policy.<\/p>\n

In 2019, filmmaker and community advocate Luke Galati<\/a> noticed that the basketball nets had been removed from his former schoolyard at Earl Grey Senior Public School. The TDSB\u2019s quiet policy of removing nets after school hours was effectively closing public space to youth\u2014especially those without backyards, gym memberships, or access to organized leagues.<\/p>\n

Galati launched the #BringBackOurNets campaign to push back. \u201cIt sends the message that youth aren\u2019t welcome in their own neighbourhood,\u201d he told CityNews<\/a>. His advocacy gained momentum, drawing national attention from The Toronto Star<\/a>, NPR<\/a>, and CBC<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Then the video dropped.<\/p>\n

Just weeks after the Toronto Raptors won the 2019 NBA Championship, a clip surfaced of a city worker removing a basketball hoop at a local park. As a young kid dribbled beneath a clear summer sky, the rim was unscrewed and carried away. \u201cI can have just as much fun out here<\/a>,\u201d a young man joked to the camera \u2014 then attempted a layup, sending the ball ricocheting off an empty backboard.<\/p>\n

That moment hit a nerve. The video went viral \u2014 1.5 million views in 48 hours. Canada’s national basketball body weighed in. Mayor John Tory<\/a> tweeted his disapproval: \u201cThe City should be putting basketball nets up, not pulling them down.\u201d The City reversed its policy within a day.<\/p>\n

And in a win for everyday civic joy, the Toronto District School Board<\/a> followed suit with a pilot project to keep nets up after hours.<\/p>\n

By the end of that month the rims stayed up \u2014 and so did the message that youth deserve to be in public space, even after 6:00 p.m. Sometimes, saving a third space doesn\u2019t mean building something new. It just means refusing to take it away.<\/p>\n

So, Where Are the Third Spaces?<\/h2>\n

The good news? They exist\u2014if we fund them, elevate them, and ensure they\u2019re not just tolerated, but protected.<\/p>\n

Take the Toronto Public Library\u2019s Teen Hubs<\/a>. Here, youth can access Wi-Fi, homework help, gaming, podcasting, and even free museum passes<\/a>. They\u2019re free, they\u2019re local, and they\u2019re youth-specific.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s Evergreen Brick Works<\/a>, a former quarry turned green public space in the Don Valley that\u2019s accessible by walking, biking, or public transit. It\u2019s open 365 days a year and often features youth-focused programs.<\/p>\n

Or The Bentway<\/a>, a reimagined urban underpass that hosts everything from public art to community events. It proves what\u2019s possible when we invest in spaces that don\u2019t just serve youth, they invite them.<\/p>\n

But we need more.<\/p>\n

More spaces that don\u2019t demand a credit card or a chaperone. More places where youth can create the culture instead of consuming it. More neighbourhoods where being a teenager isn\u2019t treated like a threat to property values.<\/p>\n

Because here\u2019s the truth: Youth don\u2019t grow without space. They don\u2019t thrive without trust. And they sure as hell can\u2019t find themselves if every place they enter tells them to keep it down, move along, or wait for a ride home.<\/p>\n

A Five-Day Summer Test Case<\/h2>\n

This summer, school ends on June 27th. July 1st lands on a Tuesday making for five days of free-form time. For my teen, this might be the moment he and his friends begin to chart their map of the city. Not just how to get around, but where they\u2019re allowed to belong.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s the question I\u2019ll leave with you, as a parent, a planner, a city-builder:<\/p>\n

In the Toronto you live in, where is the third space that\u2019s been crafted for youth to do more than just exist?<\/p>\n

Because \u201changing out with the boys\u201d shouldn\u2019t require a car, a wallet, or an adult\u2019s permission. It should just require a city that trusts its youth enough to give them space.<\/p>\n

Photo by Dylan Reid<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a new phrase floating around our house since March Break ended. My 15-year-old came home and declared, \u201cI\u2019ve outgrown summer camp.\u201d He said it in that matter-of-fact way only teens can, somewhere between independence and impatience. \u201cI\u2019ve got a bike, I\u2019ve got my Presto card, I just want to hang with the boys.\u201d AsContinue reading “OP-ED: Their Third Space”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8588,"featured_media":70462,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[21952,157,21758],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cities-for-people","category-civic-engagement","category-community"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nOP-ED: Their Third Space - Spacing Toronto<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2025\/06\/12\/op-ed-their-third-space\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"OP-ED: Their Third Space - Spacing Toronto\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There\u2019s a new phrase floating around our house since March Break ended. 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