Copies of "Palaces for the People" will be sold on-site. A book signing will follow the program.
Sociologist Eric Klinenberg contends that the health of our democracy depends largely on the quality of our social infrastructure—shared spaces like public libraries, child care centers, bookstores and parks that shape the way people interact. When social infrastructure is robust, it strengthens social ties and turns communities into lived experiences. He gave examples of playgrounds that bring neighborhood families together, religious organizations that help communities rebuild after disasters, and libraries that offer free programs, resources and services to the public regardless of their social class, race or ethnicity. “We built social infrastructure that makes us who we are at our best moments today,” he said. He also pointed out that not enough is being done to maintain and improve what already exists for the generations to come. Building walls and social media will not create meaningful community engagement, argued Klinenberg. Instead, we need to invest in physical places that are open to the public. “It’s not a luxury,” Klinenberg said. “Our future depends on it.”
About Eric Klinenberg
Eric Klinenberg is Helen Gould Shepard Professor of Social Science and Director of the Institute for Public Knowledge at New York University. He is the author of “Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life” (Crown, 2018), “Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone” (The Penguin Press, 2012), “Fighting for Air: The Battle to Control America’s Media” (Metropolitan Books, 2007), and “Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago” (University of Chicago Press, 2002), as well as the editor of Cultural Production in a Digital Age, co-editor of Antidemocracy in America (Columbia University Press, 2019), and co-author, with Aziz Ansari, of the New York Times #1 bestseller “Modern Romance” (The Penguin Press, 2015). His scholarly work has been published in journals including the American Sociological Review, Theory and Society, and Ethnography, and he has contributed to The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, and This American Life.
About the Kinder Institute Forum
The Kinder Institute Forum lecture series brings thought leaders from around the world to Houston to share ideas about the most pressing urban issues facing us today. Previous KI Forum speakers have included Pulitzer Prize-winning author Matthew Desmond, global urbanist Richard Florida, Kresge Foundation senior fellow Carol Coletta and Detroit city planner Maurice Cox.
CenterPoint Energy is the title sponsor of the Kinder Institute Forum series. This program is eligible for 1.5 CM credits from the American Planning Association.
