From Squares to Social Glue: Savannah, a Blueprint for Community-Oriented Urbanism
Through its iconic public squares, lush parks, and gathering spaces, Savannah demonstrates how thoughtful urban design can cultivate lasting human connection and civic life.
Savannah: The Great Good Place
Written by: Rosa Mendoza
From Squares to Social Glue: Savannah, a Blueprint for Community-Oriented Urbanism
Through its iconic public squares, lush parks, and gathering spaces, Savannah demonstrates how thoughtful urban design can cultivate lasting human connection and civic life.When considering pivotal American coastal cities, Savannah, Georgia cannot be overlooked. As the first planned city in the United States, its original blueprints featured a network of squares and public gardens designed for locals to gather and enjoy each other’s company. A city is more than just population density and job opportunities—Savannah has long understood that a truly great city thrives on an abundance of shared spaces that nurture community. These meeting places not only enhance daily life but also make the city more desirable, enticing residents to pay a premium to live within them and drawing newcomers from afar.
In his groundbreaking book The Great Good Place, Ray Oldenburg introduced the term “third space,” highlighting our innate need for environments beyond home and work where social life can flourish. This story explores Savannah as a pioneer in leisure and community-building—examining its past and present third spaces, and the enduring role they play in shaping urban life.
Introduction to Third Spaces
Coined by sociologist Ray Oldenburg in his influential book The Great Good Place, the term “third spaces” refers to places outside the home (the “first place”) and the workplace (the “second place”) where people gather, interact, and build informal social bonds.
These environments—ranging from cafés and libraries to parks and community centers—are crucial to the social fabric of any community. Open and accessible, third spaces bring together people from all walks of life, creating a sense of inclusion, shared identity, and belonging. More than just settings for leisure, they serve as essential pillars of social health, connection, and resilience.
At their core, third spaces foster organic interaction and civic life. They offer the chance to engage in casual conversations, form relationships, and participate in local culture—all without the structure or pressure of home or work. In doing so, they become equalizers: places where people exchange knowledge, share experiences, and learn from one another in ways that support both personal growth and collective development.
Below are some of Savannah’s locals and their favorite places. Photos by: Rosa Mendoza
Savannah’s Squares: The City’s Social Living Rooms
Chinese Fringe Tree in Chippewa Square; Photo By: Rosa Mendoza
Functioning like neighborhood living rooms, the squares anchor community identity at the street level. In fact, they were a core part of the city’s original plan by James Oglethorpe, a British Parliamentarian and military leader who founded Savannah in 1733.
Oglethorpe’s early blueprint featured six squares, and as Savannah grew, city planners expanded on this vision, eventually developing twenty-four, although a few were lost due to urban development. But these spaces weren’t just about leisure or aesthetics—they were also inspired by Oglethorpe’s military mindset. The idea was that military could practice drills in them and if the city were ever under attack, residents from nearby plots would meet in the center of the square. Smaller, tighter groupings would improve accountability, reduce casualties, and create a stronger defensive core. In this way, the squares were designed for both community cohesion and practical survival.
Today, the squares are vibrant, inclusive gathering places—true melting pots in the heart of the city. Within their manicured lawns and shaded benches, you’ll find people from all walks of life: SCAD students sketching in the shade, leisure enthusiasts with to-go cups in hand, unhoused neighbors resting under live oaks, families on strolls, and bachelorette parties buzzing with energy since brunch. This effortless mixing of lives and stories is part of what gives Savannah its enduring joie de vivre.
Check out the following infographic for a brief history of Savannah’s early squares and the Trustees Garden.
Forsyth Park: Savannah’s Buzzing Center
Established in the 1840s, Forsyth Park is one of the oldest planned public green spaces in the United States—and one of Savannah’s most beloved landmarks. Valued not only for its historic charm, the park continues to serve as a dynamic third space where social, civic, and cultural life converge.
Spanning 30 acres in the heart of Savannah’s historic district, Forsyth Park functions as a communal living room, a place of everyday joy, collective resistance, and local identity.
It is free, walkable, and deeply democratic—welcoming locals and tourists, families, students, artists, and activists alike. As a neutral, open-access space, it invites anyone to simply show up and take part in the life of the city.
The park encourages loose social ties: neighbors walk dogs, sunbathe, picnic, play pickup games—and yes, casually sip drinks in public. Thanks to Savannah’s open-container policy in the historic district, visitors can stroll with alcoholic beverages in hand, adding to the park’s relaxed, convivial atmosphere.
But Forsyth Park is more than just a place for leisure. It is a civic third space—a public stage where ideas are exchanged and communities make themselves seen and heard. The Forsyth Park Bandshell periodically hosts protests, cultural festivals, and concerts, while every Saturday, the Forsyth Farmers' Market offers locally sourced produce, regional goods, and artisanal treats.
First African Baptist Church — A Sacred Third Space
Photo of First African Baptist Church (1933). Courtesy of The Library of Congress.
First African Baptist Church is not only a historic religious institution; it stands as a powerful example of a third space rooted in resistance, resilience, and community identity. As the oldest African American congregation in North America, its influence has extended far beyond faith, shaping the civic, cultural, and social fabric of Savannah’s African-American community for centuries.
During slavery and segregation, it was one of the few spaces where African Americans could speak freely, organize politically, and sustain their cultural identity. It became a beacon for both enslaved and free Black people, offering spiritual refuge, educational support, and a foundation for activism during Reconstruction, the Civil Rights Movement, and beyond. Defying laws that criminalized Black literacy, the church served as a school for both children and adults. It was a platform for leadership development, cultural expression, and civil discourse—hallmarks of a dynamic third space.
Today, the church continues to serve as more than just a house of worship. It hosts funerals, community meetings, arts programs, and historical tours. As both a sacred gathering place and living museum, it fosters civic dialogue and cultural education. With its original pews, hand-crafted stained glass, and preserved Underground Railroad markings, the space embodies intergenerational memory and continues to function as a vital third space for Black civic life—especially amid the pressures of growing tourism and gentrification in Savannah.
Telfair Museum – The South’s Oldest Public Art Museum
Telfair Educational Center Photo Courtesy of The Telfair Museums
In a time when Southern women were expected to marry, raise families, and uphold domestic roles, Telfair remained unmarried and lived independently—a bold and unconventional choice that still reverberates through Savannah’s cultural legacy.
As an institution, the Telfair Museum has played a vital role in expanding access to art and shaping American art appreciation, particularly in regions outside major urban hubs like New York and Boston. Beyond its historical significance, the museum also functions as a modern third space—hosting community events, offering educational programming, and curating interactive exhibits that encourage public participation. In doing so, it transforms from a site of passive observation to one of active civic dialogue and cultural exchange.
Trustees’ Garden: One of the First Public Gardens in America
Peruvian Bark known as quinine; planted in the Trustees Garden, mainly used for lowering fevers. Photo courtesy of F. E. Kohler
Created in the 1730s by the Trustees of the colony of Georgia under the direction of Savannah’s founder, James Oglethorpe, Trustees’ Garden was one of the first experimental agricultural gardens in North America. Inspired by British botanical gardens, the ten-acre plot featured walkways, planned layouts, and an ambitious agricultural mission. It was intended to support Georgia’s economy by testing the viability of various cash crops, including mulberry trees (for silk production), grapes (for wine), flax, hemp, and olives.
The mulberry trees were especially important, planted to support silkworm cultivation. However, silk production ultimately failed due to Georgia’s unsuitable climate and the settlers’ limited expertise in sericulture. After roughly fifteen years, the garden ceased operations.
Still, Trustees’ Garden was far from a failure. It laid the foundation for agricultural experimentation in the region and helped spark ongoing interest in botany, horticulture, and trade. Over the centuries, the site has evolved dramatically—serving as a steam-powered cotton press, a hospital, a foundry, and now, a contemporary venue for events and public gatherings.
Below are some fun facts and stories surrounding the Trustees Garden.
Ecstatic Dance as a Third Space
Ecstatic dance is a form of freeform movement and self-expression, typically practiced in non-judgmental, substance-free environments. There are no choreographed steps, and it's often done in community—with no talking, no shoes, and no alcohol—encouraging participants to connect deeply with their bodies, emotions, and each other.
With ancient roots and modern relevance, ecstatic dance is a powerful practice that transforms individual consciousness while reshaping local culture. These gatherings often create semi-permanent third spaces—environments that foster movement, inclusion, and shared presence.
Many Indigenous cultures have used dance for spiritual connection, healing, and communal bonding. Traditions such as African tribal dances, Sufi whirling, Native American ceremonial dances, and shamanic trance rituals are early forms of ecstatic or trance-based dance. These practices were often tied to rites of passage, seasonal cycles, and communication with ancestors.
The counterculture movements of the 1960s and '70s sparked renewed interest in embodied spiritual practices, including dance. Teachers like Gabrielle Roth pioneered modalities such as 5Rhythms in the 1980s, blending ecstatic movement with psychological and spiritual frameworks. In the 2000s, more secular versions of ecstatic dance gained traction in urban centers like San Francisco, where they became linked with yoga, electronic music, and wellness culture. Some theorists have drawn parallels between these dance spaces and Hakim Bey’s idea of Temporary Autonomous Zones—ephemeral moments of freedom existing outside traditional structures.
Ecstatic dance continues to serve as a living bridge between ancient ritual and modern wellness, between personal freedom and collective belonging. It influences Savannah by offering alternative ways to connect, celebrate, and heal—and by expanding the possibilities of what third spaces can be: vibrant, embodied, and deeply communal.
In the following conversation with hybrid artist and community organizer Eric Wooddell, we got to take a closer look at the sacred community space being harnessed in Savannah through ecstatic dance gatherings.
Click below to listen.
Below you can listen to a recoding of one Wooddell’s (DJ AndAnanda) live Ecstatic Dance sets at the Sentient Bean, one of Savannah’s busiest coffee shops.
The Coworking Shift and Switchyards in Savannah
The coworking industry has experienced explosive growth and transformation over the past five years (2020–2025), driven by the pandemic, the rise of hybrid work, evolving urban trends, and shifting values around work and community. As Wired reports in “Local Coworking Spaces Thrive Where WeWork Dared Not Go,” neighborhood-centric coworking brands like Switchyards and Industrious are rapidly expanding to meet the demand for flexible, residential-office hybrid spaces.
New to Savannah, Switchyards is more than just a coworking provider—it’s carving out a new category of third space: a neighborhood work club that blends the best aspects of café culture, library quiet, and hotel-lobby sociability. With a hyper-local location strategy, affordable memberships, and thoughtfully curated spaces, it’s changing the way communities organize around hybrid work. In essence, Switchyards is redefining third spaces for the work-from-home era—bringing people together at the heart of their everyday lives, without the rigid structure of traditional offices.
In the coming months, Savannah will find out whether a coworking model like Switchyards is the answer to combatting the isolation that can accompany remote work.
Switchyard Savannah Rules, Photo by: Rosa Mendoza
People Are Coming
Over the past decade, Savannah, Georgia has undergone remarkable growth—addressing key infrastructure challenges, expanding its economic base, and transforming its urban landscape into a modern, highly connected city.
In a place as welcoming as Savannah, it’s no surprise that some of the millions of annual visitors decide to stay. In his 2022 article “36 Hours in Savannah”, Ariel Felton warns “it’s not uncommon for visitors to fall in love with the city and become locals.”
In 2023 alone, the city welcomed over 17 million tourists. But tourism isn’t the only factor driving population growth. As the Port of Savannah expands and major employers like Hyundai invest in the region—“delivering approximately 8,100 new jobs to Georgia’s coastal region,” according to Georgia.gov—new opportunities are drawing more people to the city.
This influx is fueling a demand for housing, leading to the largest apartment inventory expansion Savannah has seen in 25 years. However, many of the new units are initially priced beyond the reach of the city’s middle class, which largely depends on the hospitality sector for employment.
Still, Savannah must begin somewhere if it hopes to accommodate its inevitable growth.
The following conversation with urban visionary Jason Combs offers viable solutions for a city that is—quite literally—outgrowing its bridges.
Savannah, Georgia is more than a postcard-perfect historic city — it’s a living example of how thoughtfully designed third spaces can nurture community, resilience, and belonging. From its iconic squares and gardens to its churches and cultural institutions, Savannah proves that public space isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about access, equity, and shared experience. In an era marked by isolation and digital fatigue, the city offers a powerful reminder: when we invest in spaces that bring people together, we invest in the soul of the city itself.
This simple guide is intended for well natured and curious tourist who like to jump into new spaces and be in the thick of it. Enjoy Savannah!
