New York University professor and sociologist Eric Klinenberg will discuss social isolation, economic, and racial stratification, and how social infrastructure can revitalize civic life.

In his book, Palaces for the People, Klinenberg argues 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. Klinenberg will share how social infrastructure investment is becoming a key part of placemaking and urban policy; and how it can help fight inequality, polarization, and the decline of civic life.