I'm really interested in this. I think every area has some unique challenges (recent problematic earthquake here) and opportunities (tight nit community). What I see in many places boils down to money. What few places we do have in my little town are in poor shape, one more shake or blow away from shuttering. In many places in my country, funding can be had for building things. Grants. But nothing for operating. Budgets are too thin, communities are made up of people that cannot help with funding.

I would rather avoid taking a dump on capitalism, but third places are services, fundamentally, and as long as any of them are viewed as revenue generators, they cannot win. We all lose. Just as a local school does not have to raise its own money directly, we probably need external finding for communal places. Non-profit coffee shops? Maybe. My thoughts. I ate at a diner, nightly, for years. Got job referrals from other regulars. Met a combat barber 😳

We have to fight the rot from within, I think.