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Cited by 570Urban and sociocultural dynamicsUrban Planning and GovernanceSpatial and Cultural Studies

Social infrastructure and the public life of cities: Studying urban sociality and public spaces

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Latham, Alan, Layton, Jack·2019·Geography Compass
DOI 10.1111/gec3.12444
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Abstract

Libraries, laundrettes, and lidos. Pizzerias, plazas, and playgrounds. Sidewalks, swimming pools, and schools. These are just some of the kinds of spaces and facilities that contribute to the public life of cities. Drawing on the arguments of the sociologist Eric Klinenberg, this article develops the concept of “social infrastructure” as a way to research and value these kinds of spaces. Social infrastructure helps in recognising the public dimensions of often overlooked and undervalued spaces. It draws attention to the breadth, depth, and textures of sociality that can be afforded by different urban environments. In developing the concept of social infrastructure, this article pulls together four related strands of social scientific inquiry: work on infrastructure; publicness and public space; sociality and encounter; and the politics of provision. An infrastructural approach to the topic of public space presents geographers with some productive tools for understanding the public life of cities.

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  • The public library can be reconceptualised as a form of social infrastructure that links informational access, relational encounter, civic participation and low-threshold support.

    “The article's central contribution is to reconceptualise the public library as a form of social infrastructure that links informational access, relational encounter, civic participation and low-threshold support.”

    From Public libraries as social infrastructure: An integrative review of community roles (2026) · cites this paper as Latham and Layton, 2019

    The Abstract (p. 1) says the article develops social infrastructure as a way to understand a range of urban spaces, including libraries. Section 3 (p. 4) describes libraries as places for borrowing books, socialising and encountering others. The article does not present a library-specific reconceptualisation linking informational access, civic participation and low-threshold support as its central contribution. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Authors
Latham, A., & Layton, J.
Affiliations
University College London (GB)
Corresponding author
Latham, Alan
ORCID
Venue
Geography Compass
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2019-06-20
Volume
13
Issue
7
ISSN
1749-8198 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1111/gec3.12444
OpenAlex
W2950589030
Cited by
570
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 150 · 2025: 114 · 2024: 98 · 2023: 87 · 2022: 69 · 2021: 28 · 2020: 19 · 2019: 3
FWCI
78.41
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Geography Compass (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Economic and Social Research Council (1622384)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Urban Studies › Urban and sociocultural dynamics
  • Social Sciences › Urban Studies › Urban Planning and Governance
  • Social Sciences › Geography, Planning and Development › Spatial and Cultural Studies
Keywords
social infrastructure, public space, urban sociality, social encounters, publicness, infrastructure, urban facilities, public libraries, playgrounds, swimming pools

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