What are the key drivers of successful social infrastructure networks?
Social infrastructure spaces are the physical places that shape our capacity to interact, including libraries, parks, playgrounds, community organizations, recreation centers, and streets. When well-supported, these spaces foster everyday social connections that strengthen communities and contribute to broader civic outcomes. Yet across the United States, social infrastructure is often under-funded, fragmented, and undervalued. Limited funding, siloed systems, and a lack of coordinated long-term planning result in networks that are insufficient, disconnected, and difficult to sustain.
This study seeks to bridge the gap between our needs for social infrastructure and the resources allocated to it. Building on prior research — including Eric Klinenberg’s Palaces for the People, the U.S. Surgeon General’s 2023 report on loneliness, and Gehl’s global study on “Havens, Hubs & Hangouts” — the project advances a more holistic understanding of how social infrastructure functions and how its value can be better measured, supported, and sustained.
