This eleven year old boy – let’s call him "Ray" – does not ordinarily sit still for more than a few minutes. But he is focused while sitting on one of the long benches that surround the big chessboard painted on the floor at Crossroads Mall. As he watches the men slide two-foot wooden chess pieces about with a foot, Ray occasionally wraps one hand around the other hand, pointing an index finger at the big board and vocalizing – "ah, ah, ah."
It's Friday night, and the mall is buzzing. Many of the regulars are in attendance at the big board, young and old men, African American boys wearing long and baggy athletic shorts playing against elderly men with Slavic accents. Homeless white men with scruffy beards and tattered clothing play Indian software gurus employed by Microsoft. Hispanic and Chinese men smile, point, whisper, and chuckle from their bench seats as they watch. The game is the common ground, stitching together this tapestry of humanity.
To one side of the big board, game tables are crowded with chess mats and timers borrowed from the small crowded public library branch, which is also housed in this unusual shopping mall. Beyond the chess area, younger groups are playing Magic cards or Dungeons and Dragons. A crowded food court, as ethnically diverse as the clientele, stretches toward a small centrally located stage, surrounded by rows of folding chairs. An African American woman with Down syndrome is dancing in the open space between the folding chairs and the stage, accompanied by toddlers, old couples, and a pair of young Korean children. A quartet from Seattle is on the stage, performing free of charge and selling CD’s.
This was planned. Ray Oldenburg, urban sociologist and author of The Great Good Place influenced Ron Sher, the developer who transformed Crossroads Mall. Oldenburg maintains that we need more than first places (homes) and second places (work). We need third places, where people can read, discuss, share, play, dance, and enjoy the company of others. He considers this essential to the development of democratic discourse and responsibility. Beginning with an idea called "Third Place Books," Sher is fulfilling Oldenburg’s vision in Washington state, creating three economically viable community hubs, Bellevue’s Crossroads Mall, the Lake Forest Park Town Centre, and most recently, a renovation of the old J.C. Penney building in Bremerton.
The Project for Public Spaces lists a number of benefits from shared public spaces like these. They support local economies, attract business investments and tourism, provide cultural opportunities, reduce crime, encourage volunteerism, improve pedestrian safety, increase use of public transportation, improve public health, and improve the environment.
But they do more for people like Ray. He doesn’t usually get invited to birthday parties or play dates. Suburban life has not suited him well. Working and playing with others are usually a challenge. He was removed from a public school, and then removed from a private school. But here, on the big board, things are different.
When he arrives, he is greeted by name. He writes his name on the whiteboard, holding his place in line for a match. After patiently waiting for his turn, he takes his place on the big board, pacing about the pieces, wrapping one hand around the other, pointing the index finger, vocalizing "ah, ah, ah," chewing his shirt. When he lifts one of the heavy wooden pieces and makes a move, there are no patronizing smiles from the men sitting on the benches. They watch intently. Some of them are quite good at this game. Some are coaches; occasionally a chess master will play on the big board. Ray usually loses to the men. But at times, he plays very well, and when he does, a standing crowd gathers around the board to watch. Here, he is always regarded with respect.