the war in iraq, the economy and third place

That's right, third place is a campaign issue. Project for Public Spaces has an article up highlighting each candidate's response.

Hilary: "When that red phone rings at 3 AM I will have my tennis shoes on and be ready to hit the streets with carefully drafted plans to calm traffic, revitalize business districts and create public plazas in every neighborhood from Bangor to Bellingham.”

Barack: "My record speaks for itself. While Hillary Clinton was in the White House, I was a community organizer in the streets of Chicago, working to help people create neighborhood places to hang-out and have fun. It will take that kind of bottom-up approach to give the American people the great places they desire and deserve.”

John: "America is the most free nation on Earth, so we cannot tolerate a situation where people are not able to take a walk in their own community due to poor urban planning and everything-for-the-auto transportation policies."

(I'm exercising serious restraint in not commenting on those quotes.)

The lack of public space (the "problem of place," as Oldenburg refers to it in The Great Good Place) was bound to become a trendy social issue sooner or later. We've been helping churches jump the curb, but are enough churches on board?

When this thing gets really popular, will people say, "Oh, the church in my town has been doing that for years" and wonder what all the fuss is about? Will the media be hard pressed to talk about third place without talking about local churches? It's probably not to late for churches to get a head-start, but it may be getting close!