Why Coworking is the Third Place We Need — and What Switchyards is Bringing to Austin

In coworking, we talk a lot about community—but too often, that word gets reduced to surface-level connections. Real community is deeper. It’s about showing up, being seen, and feeling like you belong. That’s why the concept of the third place, first introduced by sociologist Ray Oldenburg, is having a renaissance. A third place isn’t your home (first place), and it’s not your workplace (second place). It’s the space in between—where social interaction, spontaneous conversation, and genuine conn