Student project focusses on meeting places in rural areas

How can places of encounter and exchange be preserved in the countryside? How can new so-called "third places" be created with a view to an ageing society? What framework conditions are needed? What could a regional strategy for strengthening these places look like? - These and other questions are posed by students on the Urban and Regional Planning master's programme, who present the results of the "Third places in rural development" project using the example of the Spree-Neisse district as part of a future workshop.

Future workshop "Networked into the future - third places in dialogue"
Tuesday, 17 February 2026, from 16:30
Sociocultural Centre Cottbus-Sachsendorf
Zielona-Gora-Straße 16, 03048 Cottbus

Interested parties are cordially invited to the public event.
Please register by e-mail to: Richard.Pantzier(at)b-tu.de

"Third places" are meeting places that form an important basis for social coexistence alongside the home and the workplace. The students dealt with the challenges of such places in the district of Spree-Neiße last winter semester 2025/26. After specialist input and an excursion to places in the district of Spree-Neiße, they organised the course of the project and the future workshop "Networked into the future - third places in dialogue" largely independently.

The findings will be presented at the event. The needs and ideas from the communities will be visualised in discussions at themed tables and concrete project approaches will be developed. The aim is also to lay the foundations for possible cooperation and networking between stakeholders and citizens in the district of Spree-Neisse.

The event is funded by the"Praxisforschungsstelle Cottbus" as part of the Transferraum Alterperimentale project.