Rebuilding Social Infrastructure
Last fall鈥檚 Jane Jacobs Lecture featured Eric Klinenberg, professor at NYU, bestselling author, and sociologist known for his research on cities, climate change, and the social forces that hold communities together.
Klinenberg opened with a look at modern life where political violence is plotted online, leaders wish harm on opponents, and people routinely harass one another on social media. For younger generations, he said, this chaos feels normal. When he asked older audience members if this had always been the case, the answer was an emphatic 鈥渘o.鈥�
Today, Klinenberg argued, Americans are more isolated than ever, rarely knowing their neighbors or gathering in shared spaces. Many feel the divide is beyond repair. His answer: rebuild social infrastructure.
While social media offers easy connections, it often traps us in echo chambers. Real community, he said, happens in physical spaces鈥攑arks, libraries, and local institutions鈥攚here people meet across differences.
To illustrate the point, Klinenberg revisited the 1995 Chicago heat wave, which claimed hundreds of lives. In neighborhoods with similar income and racial demographics, death rates varied drastically. On one block, residents checked on each other and stayed safe; on another, abandoned buildings and social neglect left people isolated and vulnerable. The difference, he explained, was the strength of their social networks and the infrastructure that supported them.
Klinenberg warned that society鈥檚 unraveling continued through the pandemic, deepened by fights over masks, vaccines, and politics. While broader reforms will be needed to heal these divides, he believes the first step is simple: invest in the spaces and relationships that connect us.
Brendan Willingham '27, Winston Ambassador聽
Presented with the Corcoran Center for Real Estate and Urban Action