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Summary:

"An eminent sociologist and bestselling author offers an inspiring blueprint for rebuilding our fractured society. We are living in a time of deep divisions. Americans are sorting themselves along racial, religious, and cultural lines, leading to a level of polarization that the country hasn't seen since the Civil War. Pundits and politicians are calling for us to come together, to find common purpose. But how, exactly, can this be done? In Palaces for the People, Eric Klinenberg suggests a way forward. He believes that the future of democratic societies rests not simply on shared values but on shared spaces: the libraries, childcare centers, bookstores, churches, synagogues, and parks where crucial, sometimes life-saving connections, are formed. These are places where people gather and linger, making friends across group lines and strengthening the entire community. Klinenberg calls this the 'social infrastructure': When it is strong, neighborhoods flourish; when it is neglected, as it has been in recent years, families and individuals must fend for themselves. Klinenberg takes us around the globe--from a floating school in Bangladesh to an arts incubator in Chicago, from a soccer pitch in Queens to an evangelical church in Houston--to show how social infrastructure is helping to solve some of our most pressing challenges: isolation, crime, education, addiction, political polarization, and even climate change. Richly reported, elegantly written, and ultimately uplifting, Palaces for the People urges us to acknowledge the crucial role these spaces play in civic life. Our social infrastructure could be the key to bridging our seemingly unbridgeable divides--and safeguarding democracy."--Jacket.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction: The social infrastructure
• A place to gather
• Safe spaces
• Learning together
• Healthy bonds
• Common ground
• Ahead of the storm
• Conclusion: Before we lift the next shovel.

Author/Creator:

Klinenberg, Eric , author

Languages:

English

Language Notes:

Item content: English

Main Work:

Palaces for the people: how social infrastructure can help fight inequality, polarization, and the decline of civic life [by Klinenberg, E.]

Subjects:

Infrastructure (Economics) — United States

City planning — United States

Public spaces — United States

Equality — United States

Quality of life — United States

Infrastructure (Economics)

City planning

Public spaces

Equality

Quality of life

United States

General Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 239-266) and index.

Physical Description:

277 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Call Numbers:

HC79.C3 K55 2018

ISBNs:

9781524761165 (hardback)
1524761168 (hardback)
9781524761172 (paperback)
1524761176
9781984822413
9781524761189 (ebook) [Invalid]
1984822411

Other Standard Numbers:

[Unknown Type]: 40028478401

Library of Congress Control Numbers:

2018002837

OCLC Numbers:

1016405141