How Do We Rebuild Our Social Infrastructure in Cities? Aditya Chakrabortty and Eric Klinenberg

Too often we take for granted and neglect our libraries, parks, markets, schools, playgrounds, gardens and communal spaces, but decades of research now shows that these places can have an extraordinary effect on our personal and collective wellbeing.

Wherever people cross paths and linger, wherever we gather informally, strike up a conversation and get to know one another, relationships blossom and communities emerge. Where communities are strong, people are safer and healthier; crime drops and commerce thrives; democracy is enhanced; and peace, tolerance and stability take root. Properly designing and maintaining this ‘social infrastructure’ might be our single best strategy for a more equal and united society.

Buy a copy of Eric Klinenberg’s Palaces for the People: How to Build a More Equal and United Society from Waterstones, our bookselling partners.

Aditya Chakrabortty is a senior economics commentator for the Guardian, where he writes a regular column and reports from around Britain about key societal issues and ways to make the economy work for everyone. In December 2017, he won the British Journalism Award for Comment Journalist of the year. His work has also won a Social Policy Association award, a Harold Wincott prize for Business Journalism and was shortlisted for an Orwell Prize for journalism in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2020. He has been a journalist for over 20 years, working previously at the BBC and appearing as a regular broadcaster on radio and television.

Eric Klinenberg is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Institute of Public Knowledge at New York University. His pioneering research into the power of social infrastructure led to his appointment in 2013 as Research Director for President Obama’s $1 billion programme to rebuild the region affected by Superstorm Sandy. He is the multi-award winning author of several books including, as co-author, the bestseller Modern Romance and, more recently, Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization and the Decline of Civic Life.

Booking Information

Ticket booking is via Eventbrite. Please review Eventbrite’s terms and conditions and Privacy Policy as Bristol Ideas do not accept any responsibility or liability for the policies. You can read Bristol Ideas’ Privacy policy here.

Please note we only refund tickets if the event is cancelled. Events start punctually and, out of consideration to other audience members and speakers, our policy is not to admit or issue refunds to latecomers. Full Terms and Conditions here.

It’s important to us that ideas and debate are affordable to everyone. It’s also important that our commentators, artists, writers, poets and thinkers are paid. This is a Pay What You Can event. You are invited to choose your own contribution to the event. A free option is available. All proceeds go towards supporting our speakers and sustaining Bristol Ideas.

This is an online event on Crowdcast. Please note that Crowdcast works best in Chrome.

Booking a ticket for our Crowdcast event
Click the Book Ticket link to go to Crowdcast to register. Click the ‘Save my spot’ button to register. You will be prompted to enter your email address or social media login (Facebook, Twitter or Google). An email will be sent to confirm your registration, along with the option to add the event to your calendar.

Joining our Crowdcast event
Once you register you will have instant access to the event’s Crowdcast page, including the polls, chat, and Q&A. To return to the event page at any time, simply click the link in your confirmation or reminder email. The event will start automatically on its event page at the time advertised, and all you have to do is sit back and relax.

Download this guide for more information about using Crowdcast.

Live captions
You can use Chrome’s accessibility settings to view live captions for Crowdcast events. This page explains how to enable them.

Festival of the Future City

Festival of the Future City takes place every two years in Bristol. This year – due to the pandemic – the festival brings together live on-stage, live online and pre-recorded events. Check the project page for details and follow #FutureCity21 on Twitter.