Social infrastructure and the public life of cities: Studying urban sociality and public spaces

Alan Latham,Jack Layton

doi:10.1111/gec3.12444

Abstract

AbstractLibraries, laundrettes, and lidos. Pizzerias, plazas, and playgrounds. Sidewalks, swimming pools, and schools. These are just some of the kinds of spaces and facilities that contribute to the public life of cities. Drawing on the arguments of the sociologist Eric Klinenberg, this article develops the concept of “social infrastructure” as a way to research and value these kinds of spaces. Social infrastructure helps in recognising the public dimensions of often overlooked and undervalued spaces. It draws attention to the breadth, depth, and textures of sociality that can be afforded by different urban environments. In developing the concept of social infrastructure, this article pulls together four related strands of social scientific inquiry: work on infrastructure; publicness and public space; sociality and encounter; and the politics of provision. An infrastructural approach to the topic of public space presents geographers with some productive tools for understanding the public life of cities.

Highlights

What makes a good city? Economic opportunity, certainly
Public institutions that are provided publicly and designed as facilities for the general public are an important aspect of a city's social infrastructure, and, unsurprisingly, they have been the focus of much work
The argument this paper has been making is that social infrastructure is an important way that social connection and public life happens in cities

Summary

Introduction

What makes a good city? Economic opportunity, certainly. Engaging and challenging architecture, maybe. An argument for the role places such as libraries, parks, sports facilities, schools, and community centres play in making a good city and recognising the critical contribution they make to the social life of cities. To think about social infrastructure is to provide an intellectually robust account of how and why places like libraries, parks, community centres, lidos, and even cafes matter for the collective public life of cities.

Results

Conclusion