Palaces for the People: How To Build a More Equal and United Society

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For most of us, Facebook friends and Instagram followers are supplements to -- not surrogates for -- our social lives. Apparently NOBODY segregated the pools which lead to an epidemic of brown children not knowing how to swim. In discussing “the largest American public health crisis since the HIV/AIDS epidemic: opioid addiction” (118), Klinenberg describes Switzerland’s “international model of effective, if still controversial, social infrastructure, and one with a proven record of saving lives” (122).

As of 2016, more than twelve million Americans aged sixty-five and above live by themselves, and the ranks of those who are aging alone is growing steadily in much of the world. This is an engrossing, timely, hopeful read, nothing less than a new lens through which to view the world and its current conflicts. Yes, he wants to appeal to readers of every political persuasion, but come on – it’s pretty obvious who he votes for, and who most readers would vote for.As for Big, my knowledge of the company’s work so far suggests that it is not the go-to practice for effective and cost-effective public work.

Sociologist Eric Klinenberg makes a persuasive argument for the strengthening of America's "social i Different kinds of social infrastructure play different roles in the local environment, and support different kinds of social ties.

Other critical factors include equitable job opportunities, economic development/growth, transparent and truthful news reporting, building trust, etc. Around the world, architects and urban planners increasingly recognize the value of building social infrastructure into their designs for system upgrades and protection from the results of climate change. And that left me on high alert for the handful of "this happens on both sides" and "polarization" comments throughout the book. It really glossed over just how much structural racism and white supremacy continue to uphold the very disparities that were highlighted in the book.