Aging in Third Places: Community Spaces and Social Infrastructure for Older Immigrants

<p dir="ltr">This study aims to understand the role of third places, or social spaces outside of home and the workplace, in affecting senior immigrants’ social isolation and connectedness. Since immigrants’ social, economic, and political inclusion processes are fundamentally embedded in space and place, it has become imperative to understand the spatial needs and social life of senior immigrants within the context of the public realm, and how these third places shape their lived experiences of social isolation and connectedness, and vice versa. The literature has revealed that third places play a role in facilitating seniors’ community interaction and connection, which has an impact on social connectedness. However, there is insufficient empirical knowledge about the impacts of spatial and physical environment on senior immigrants, and how they navigate and utilize these third places to combat isolation and develop supportive social infrastructure. Using ethnographic observations and case studies, this research explores senior immigrants’ uses of third places in both urban and suburban contexts of the Greater Toronto Area. The findings suggest that third places not only provide the space to engage senior immigrants to build community bonding through routine social, economic, and physical activities, but also can empower them to actively participate in public affairs and demonstrate community advocacy. It offers policy implications in terms of the importance of creating ethnic-oriented and age-friendly third places and building social infrastructure in order to support senior immigrants’ social, economic, and political inclusion as a way to combat social isolation and disconnectedness.</p>