A review by moseslh
Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life by Eric Klinenberg

4.0

This is going to be one of those books that really changes the way I think about society. Klinenberg, a sociologist at NYU, advocates that we focus our attention on what he calls social infrastructure, the places and organizations that shape and structure the ways we interact with one another, such as libraries, parks, schools, community gardens, and coffee shops. He makes a compelling case that high-quality social infrastructure has a huge impact on social capital, which in turn leads to enormous improvements in public health, education, social and economic equity, and more (see Robert Putnam's [b:Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community|478|Bowling Alone The Collapse and Revival of American Community|Robert D. Putnam|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1424632781s/478.jpg|4743] for more on social capital). I love Klinenberg's emphasis on keeping social infrastructure in mind when designing structures that serve a different primary purpose, such as building flood protection infrastructure that also functions as a park, or designing safer public housing units by using principles of social infrastructure to foster tighter communities within them.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in policy, architecture, or urban design.