"Building a Better Society: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Reduce Inequality, Polarization, and Reinvigorate Civic Life"

Lindsay: A great non-fiction book about social infrastructure - the locations and programs that join individuals in a community (think public parks, libraries, community centres, churchs, etc).

I first heard about this book on a podcast (99 Percent Invisible) and finally got around to reading it recently. There are chapters on parks, natural disasters and climate change (and how outcomes are improved when there is more social infrastructure in a community), health, and others.

The conclusion chapter didn't tie everything together as much as would've liked it seemed more like a collection of facts/anecdotes as opposed to a proper conclusion) but otherwise I really enjoyed the book. I learned a lot and have some new ideas to implement into my own life and community.

Canada on Sep 15, 2023

Don Perlgut: This is a thrilling book, although I only found it some years after it was first published. Klinenberg writes with urgency and a powerful prose - you know that he really cares about the nature of community, and the elements that go into making it work. I "grew up" on Jane Jacobs' book "The Death and Life of Great American Cities", and some reviewers have likened "Palaces for the People" to that classic. I agree; this is a worthy successor, updated to our "current moment". I live in Australia - where we suffer particularly from the impacts of climate change and resultant natural disasters. I found all of the American case studies relevant, timely and appropriate for our experience. Here's an example: following devastating floods in and around Lismore, New South Wales, which destroyed the downtown and thousands of homes, almost all community services and government re-located to the campus of Southern Cross University, which was on "high ground" and not flooded. Social infrastructure in action. Klinenberg wrote the book well in advance of COVID-19, but his analysis and conclusions apply superbly to the COVID experience - areas with strong social infrastructure, community networks...

Australia on Jun 16, 2023

S M Havelka: A book all people concerned with the built environment and infrastructure development ought to read!

United States on Mar 06, 2023

Norcal19: Support your local library.....city planners should read this book

United States on Oct 16, 2022

RYAN FOLK: The way I see social infrastructure designed is such that people would bump into each other (in a good way) so that we can interact in a way that we could not individually. It seems that in this country our infrastructure is designed to keep us apart from each other, so we don't have the kind of social interaction that we would have if our environment was constructed in a way to force such interaction. Let's come together through design.

United States on Nov 17, 2021

Rob: Eric Klinenberg has written a piece of work here that at once illuminates the past and prescribes a path forward for the future. Social infrastructure is the glue that binds us, the social spaces where we gather to Be Better Together. Like our communities themselves, social infrastructure requires maintenance and care, and being part of them is an active process. This book has been a foundation to the work that I've been doing to bring people together and improve our communities, and I'm really thankful to have it!

Canada on Jan 29, 2021

Shauna RiordanShauna Riordan: I’ve listen to this audio book two times through and had to purchase a hard copy to be able to reference and better reflect. As Ive continued with my architectural studies I’ve felt the profession was lacking a humanity not touched upon in my courses. Klinenberg offers an interesting perspective on the relationship between people and place. His message feels relevant. It’s a weight message that left me conflict in our current atmosphere. There are health impacts related to social isolation, especially among the elderly. It just so happens that we’re amidst a global pandemic.

Give it a read , you won’t be disappointed.

United States on Jan 22, 2021

Tiago: I really enjoyed this book and the lessons it imparts about the critical importance of infrastructure in today’s world. It ranges from broad theory to intimate, personal moments in the lives of real people, and everything in between. Few books tackle such a wide-ranging slice of society as social infrastructure, while also providing specific examples of how it intersects with daily life. Highly recommended for anything seeking a better understanding of how modern institutions and infrastructure shapes our future.

United States on May 28, 2019