Capitalism requires businesses, and everywhere one goes in the empire, there are so many areas with places to consume and spend. This is incongruous with the lack of disposable income that most people have, but when catering to the wealthy, this is the result. While I worked in fast food, one thing I noticed was how people would be in the restaurant all day, using it like a library–or a coffee shop if one had a little bit more money. As I swept and mopped, I considered that we inhabit an empire without places for people to simply be, and I realized that the United States was running out of third spaces.
For those outside the urban planning lingo, third spaces are places to be that are neither work nor home, and an example would be a park, a trail, a library, or a swimming pool. Barring segregation, third spaces were publicly funded so that everyone would have places to be that people could enjoy for free. Segregation made more spaces private, which meant that largely BIPOCQ residents were excluded from third spaces unless we made them ourselves, which we did on a number of occasions. As the “elites” became more greedy, not only did spaces become more privatized, but hostile to those who might lack disposable income, making the areas both segregated and expensive.
Being able to be out in public without spending money should not be a controversial issue except to diminish the capacity to connect with neighbors and the rest of the community. An empire without third spaces is a social wasteland, and the “elites” know that, which is why they are constantly pushing for more commercial development. It will take some strategy to determine how to make it easier for people to get connected without driving everyone further into debt and under imperial control.
—Original photo located in the Austin-American Statesman.
Chasing A Dying Empire 