Defining a Third Place: Communities spend the majority of their waking hours at home, a “first place,†and at work or school, a “second place.†When it comes to social interaction outside of a work setting, individuals can feel unsure or unwilling to explore their community. Whether this trepidation is caused by a lack of communal meeting places or a feeling of unwelcomeness in established communal locations, the creation of a well-built Third Place can provide an outlet for these individuals. Third Places, as described by urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg, are defined as locations of refuge other than the home or workplace for people to visit and meet with friends, neighbors, or strangers. 1 A well-structured Third Place supports opportunities for socialization and creates a sense of attachment.2 Third Places are wide-ranging in design, with researched examples including parks, public libraries, churches, main streets, and shopping establishments. An important aspect of the third place is the inclusion of a permanent structure to provide a sense of place for the community.3 Third Places not only encourage community engagement but can be used to increase educational opportunities for healthy living. By using the Third Place model, governments can bring health information to the locations where residents wish to reside. The way these Third Places are built can also shape a community of like-minded individuals around a common healthful goal. Third Places Concepts for Harford County: To best incorporate third places into Harford County, this report makes proposals for a site in Joppatowne, Maryland. This site is ideal for the development of a Third Place location due to its proximity to a nearby community in need of such a place and an adjacent established third place, a church. This report is separated into potential uses of the Joppatowne site. The report proposes four potential Third Place ideas and one proposal to connect the site to the existing community. The proposals for the site itself are the construction of a gazebo, the launching of a community garden, the construction of an interactive playground, and the commissioning of community art projects on the site. To connect the site with the surrounding community, this report examines bike lanes, using the county’s bike lane study, to best provide healthy ways to travel to the site. Finally, in Appendices A and B, this report provides a budget estimation for these projects and a survey to gauge public interest in the proposed site plans.