4 stars for reviving the concept of social infrastructure in the public discourse. klinenberg illustrates how inclusive public spaces serve communities in much broader ways than their immediate uses (e.g. places for senior citizens to bond, or for refuge during natural disasters) - an idea and guiding principle that i've become obsessed with.
at the same time, i think you can get 80% of the content from an author interview - i enjoyed 99 percent invisible's episode, which initially inspired me to read the book.
the book itself is very case study-heavy, and i wish the pages were spent on more critical analysis of what makes good vs. failed social infrastructure projects instead of listing off successes. the conclusion dives into these issues with a brief discussion of facebook and big philanthropy, but i would've preferred a lot more emphasis on these issues:
how do government, philanthropic, and private sector efforts interact?
how can different agents (e.g. educators, mayors, citizens) support or build social infrastructure in their communities?
To reply you need to sign in.