The Sociology of Third Places
This walk is framed around the sociological concept of “third places,” those sites that are neither work nor home. Third places are largely public sites of recreation that nourish and inspire sociability. We'll be focusing on parks, sport, public art, and community gardens. This walk was developed for an undergraduate course by Gelbard and Davidson to explore places where architecture, urban planning, and sociology come together in everyday spaces in Ottawa.
Location
Route

We'll gather in the central plaza of Dundonald Park, at Kent & Somerset Sts. From there, we will walk generally west. Stops along the way will include the Rideau Curling Club, the Bronson Centre, Nanny Goat Hill Community Garden, the Tech Wall Dog Park, and the Garden of the Provinces and Territories, where the walk will end.


About the walk leader

Sarah is a an adjunct professor in the Department of Criminology at the University of Ottawa. She received her PhD in urban planning from McGill and is a graduate of Carleton School of Architecture. She is interested in issues of spatial justice and community engagement. Janes' Walk enthusiasts might also know Sarah from her Ottawa Brutalism walk in past years.


Tonya is a sociologist and Associate Professor of Sociology at Carleton University. She is broadly interested in urban spaces, public memory, nostalgia, popular culture, and Canadian identity. Tonya is the author of Ottawology and Tours Inside the Snow Globe: Ottawa Monuments and National Belonging.

Guides:

Sarah Gelbard and Tonya Davidson

When:
Date:Sun May 3, 2026
Time:2:00 PM
Duration: 1 hour 45 min
Language: English
Where:
Start: Dundonald Park (central plaza)
End:Garden of the Provinces & Territories
Area:Centretown
Distance:1.5 kms
Accessibility:

The walk follows city sidewalks and paved paths.

Walker Sign-up

This walk requires you to sign up to attend or join a waitlist if walk is full. Please submit your email and the number of walkers that will be attending with you below.

10 walkers registered

Gallery
Dundonald Park in Ottawa's Centretown Sarah speaking at the Urban Art Wall in the field by the old Ottawa Technical High School, Jane's Walk 2023. A stop at the Rideau Curling Club on the Third Places walk, Jane's Walk 2023. Flowers blooming at the Garden of the Provinces and Territories
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