‘This is the best place!’ A qualitative study of shopping centres as third places

Abstract

Vital urban environments contain a variety of places for social interaction. Shopping centres (SCs) form part of this social infrastructure and are widely used for everyday sociability. Yet limited knowledge exists on how individuals experience SCs as social arenas and how these spaces function as third places. To address this gap, the study drew on go-along interviews with fourteen men and women in a Norwegian SC. Four key themes emerged from the analysis. The first theme captured participants' appreciation of the SC and their habitual belonging to its physical environment and local community. Second, participants valued being among others, finding it fulfilling to be in the SC's vibrant environment even without verbal interaction. Third, participants engaged in casual encounters, typically brief and light-hearted exchanges. Finally, participants developed closer relationships, describing friendships they valued even when these seldom extended beyond the SC or involved sharing personal information. The findings highlight that the informal character of SCs provides neutral and accessible settings for diverse forms of social contact. The study also underscores the role of SCs as inclusive third places that accommodate both routinised and unstructured social interactions, thereby supporting individuals' social and emotional health. Features of SCs that qualify them as third places also position them as crucial in alleviating isolation and loneliness, reinforcing their significance within the broader social infrastructure. Implications for urban design and management include recognising SCs as accessible social infrastructure and learning from their social performance to inform inclusive, low-threshold meeting places.