The Third Place Project, one of U-SoA's newest Community Outreach programs, will create communal spaces uniting entrepreneurs, creatives and civic leaders, breaking down barriers and empowering ideation. The TPP transforms neighborhoods and increases opportunities by creating inexpensive spaces for start-ups, hubs for arts, culture and entertainment. Neighborhood locations are currently being explored.
The Third Place Project will combine expertise from the University's Schools of Architecture, Business and Social Entrepreneurship programs. The Center for Urban and Community Design, the Office of Civic and Community Engagement, and business start-up / support programs at the School of Business Administration, will actively participate in this project. The project supports week-long residencies with nationally recognized “civic innovators” who come to Miami and work with students, faculty, entrepreneurs and non-profits.
U-SoA faculty and students adapt existing buildings and create “pop-ups”; these incubator structures will be arranged to create public market spaces that celebrate the community's mix of art, commerce, food and entertainment, bringing together entrepreneurs and vendors.
Thanks to the Third Place Project, artists and entrepreneurs will receive training and diverse opportunities. The incubator spaces will expand economic opportunities for local non-profits and organizations and in moving forward, the project will train place managers to continue curating, marketing and managing these spaces to sustain the project.
The Third Place Project is slated to begin work during the 2016-2017 academic year.
