Public institutions such as libraries, schools, playgrounds, parks, and swimming pools are all vital parts of what sociologist Eric Klinenberg terms social infrastructure. So, he argues, are neighborhood markets, places of worship, and even corner diners. In Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civil Life Klinenberg unpacks urban-planning case studies from around the world, revealing ways in which the physical spaces in which we interact (or don’t) can shape not only how we view one another, but how our democracy works (or doesn’t). Architect Jeanne Gang joins Klinenberg for a conversation focusing on the critical urgency of investing in social infrastructure—that is, mapping and activating our public spaces to foster crucial, sometimes even life-saving connections between us.

Preorder your copy of Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, And the Decline of Civic Life through the CHF box office and save 20%.

A book signing will follow this program.