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

A 'No Image Available' placeholder image with a bold, black serif capital 'S' centrally located. The background is an off-white, overlaid with three blurred abstract shapes: a light blue rectangle in the top center, a yellow circle in the bottom left, and a burgundy triangle in the bottom right. The text 'No Image Available' is displayed in black sans-serif font at the bottom of the image, all enclosed within a thin black border.

Shiri Hermannoff

Selling Transformation: How Online Fitness Coaches Communicate Value
A head-and-shoulders portrait of a young Black man with short, dark curly hair, a subtle mustache, and light stubble. He is smiling gently, revealing his teeth, and wears a gold nose ring in his left nostril and silver hoop earrings. He is dressed in an open grey collared shirt over a white t-shirt, set against a softly blurred, neutral background.

Emmanuel Orim

Designed Exposure: How the Student Commute Shapes Daily Energy, Mood, and Stress
A close-up headshot of a young woman with a fair complexion, featuring long, wavy, medium-brown hair parted slightly off-center. She has blue-grey eyes and a gentle, closed-mouth smile with pink-tinted lips. She wears a dark teal button-up cardigan, a single pearl drop earring on her left ear, and two layered gold chain necklaces, one with a small, rounded gold-toned pendant. The background is softly blurred with muted light and dark tones, suggesting an indoor setting with natural light.

Paige Redstone

Curated For Hire: How Digital Self-Presentation Shapes Perceptions of Professionalism and Employability Among Young Adults
Scroll to Top