Society

Sonnet Hines

The Disappearance of Third Spaces

A close-up portrait of a Black woman with warm dark skin, smiling broadly at the camera with her teeth showing and wearing deep red lipstick. She has long box braids styled with a mix of black and vibrant blue hair, and wears small gold hoop earrings and a thin gold necklace. Her sleeveless top features a blue and teal animal print pattern. The background is a plain light gray.

Sonnet Hines is a fourth-year ProCom student, minoring in Public Relations. She’s a Lead Mentor with The Creative School’s Tri-Mentoring Program and works with TMU Housing, supporting students through mentorship and community-building. She is also a poet, content creator and professional roller skater who co-owns Hines Sisters Skate.

This research investigates the disappearance of third spaces in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and the social impacts on communities. Third spaces are informal public places where people gather outside home and work. The decline is correlated to rising living costs, privatization, and urban development. Using a mixed qualitative approach, including literature review and media analysis, the study will trace their decline over time and explore their benefits for social connection. The goal is to provide a clearer understanding of what third spaces are, why they matter, and how their loss affects society.

Lightning Talk

Browse More Society Research

More Projects

Close-up portrait of a young woman with dark brown, voluminous curly hair framing her face. She has warm brown eyes, long eyelashes, a nose piercing, and full lips with glossy pink lipstick. Her skin has a warm undertone with faint freckles and blush. She wears a black off-the-shoulder top and a thin gold necklace with a square charm and an Arabic script charm. She is looking directly at the viewer with a gentle, inviting smile against a soft gray background.

Khulood Al-Qashteenee

The Scroll, The Check, The Cycle: When Curiosity Becomes Compulsive Monitoring in Social Media Culture
A detailed headshot of a young woman with a radiant, gentle smile, looking directly forward. Her light skin is adorned with numerous warm-toned freckles across her nose and cheeks. Her large, expressive dark brown eyes sparkle softly. Her voluminous, dark brown curly hair, parted in the middle, frames her face and flows down past her shoulders. She wears a crisp white linen-style collared shirt, unbuttoned slightly at the top, over a white undershirt. A slender silver chain necklace with a small gold-colored cross pendant rests on her collarbone. Her lips are glossy and slightly parted, showing a natural pink hue. The background is a soft, out-of-focus blur of light grey, white, and hints of muted blue, suggesting an indoor, possibly office or commercial, environment.

Perrin Langille

“Becoming Chinese”: The effect of trends on reducing vast cultures to simplistic depictions
A close-up portrait of a young woman with long, slightly messy auburn wavy hair. She has fair skin with a natural blush on her cheeks, bright green eyes, and a soft smile with red lipstick. She is wearing a blue and white small-checkered button-down shirt with some buttons undone, and small pearl drop earrings. The background is a plain light grey wall.

Ella Parker-Tam

AI, Accountability, and the University: Who Is Responsible for Student Learning?
Scroll to Top