Latham, A;
Layton, J;
(2019)
Social infrastructure and the public life of cities: Studying urban sociality and public spaces.
Geography Compass
, 13
(7)
, Article e12444. 10.1111/gec3.12444.
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Abstract
Libraries, 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.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Social infrastructure and the public life of cities: Studying urban sociality and public spaces |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1111/gec3.12444 |
| Publisher version: | http://doi.org/10.1111/gec3.12444 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © 2019 The Authors Geography Compass Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Dept of Geography |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10076089 |
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