Project Agora - The Concept

From Wikipedia

The agora (/ˈæɡərə/; Ancient Greek: ἀγορά, romanized: agorá, meaning “market” in Modern Greek) was a central public space in ancient Greek city-states. It is the best representation of a city-state’s response to accommodate the social and political order of the polis.[1] The literal meaning of the word “agora” is “gathering place” or “assembly”. The agora was the center of the athletic, artistic, business, social, spiritual, and political life in the city.[2] The Ancient Agora of Athens is the best-known example.

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Introduction - “Third Places”

I read very briefly about the “Third Place” theory in sociology, and it made me come to appreciate the ‘third places’ in my life that are albeit not definite in that it often changes with circumstance such as weather, have nonetheless given me much relief and  respite from the slog of everyday life.

Take for example, this simple park that’s a 2-minute walk from my office. I often find myself bringing my lunch here to eat rather than the office lounge, just to be out of the workplace, i.e. the “second place”

The Agoras of ancient Greece were exactly that; in fact they were some of the first documented ‘third places’, serving as marketplaces to exchange goods, engage in political debate, and meet with fellow citizens.

Project: Agora

While thinking about these third places, I found myself wishing I had a regular group/location to go to on the weekends, to make said third places a more definite part of my life rather than the thing I do once every 1-2 months, only to ask myself “Why don’t I do this more often?”

I initially considered checking for clubs and groups to join on the MeetUp website, which I might do after all, but I also thought it might be equally exciting, engaging, and worthwhile to try and create one of my own.

I’m codename-ing it “Project Agora”.  I want to cater specifically to aesthetes who want to cultivate and indulge in art forms while fostering a third place for themselves - similar to gamification but with slightly different incentives.

It’s going to be a mix of a social and technical project, since I hope to make a nice website and social media presence for it as well. Excited to see how it goes

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Tokyo, Japan