PUBLIC SPACES AS INFRASTRUCTURE OF SOCIAL CONNECTION
Julia Cretan
INTRODUCTION The contradictory conventional wisdom of economic progress is a recurring topic in economic development . Gross domestic product ( GDP ), our key measure of economic prosperity , has long been criticised for including quality of life detractors like war , pollution and crime , while failing to adequately account for inequality , household care , volunteer labour , or environmental degradation . A variety of alternative indicators to GDP have been developed and implemented across different levels of government globally . Notable examples include the UK ’ s “ Inclusive Wealth ” measure , New Zealand ’ s “ Living Standards Framework ”, and the Genuine Progress Indicator ( GPI ) used in several states in the United States and Canada . At home , the Australian Government released Measuring What Matters : Australia ’ s First Wellbeing Framework in July 2023 .
The move away from traditional economic indicators reflects a growing emphasis on broader societal progress and wellbeing within economic policy and decision-making , and acknowledges the influence of semantics on real world economic outcomes . This article will explore the role of social connection as a component of wellbeing , and discuss how reconceptualising public spaces as infrastructure will be important for achieving prosperity going forward .
PUBLIC SPACES AS INFRASTRUCTURE OF SOCIAL CONNECTION The term “ infrastructure ” conjures images of roads and highways , telephone towers , sewer pipelines , schools and hospitals . In “ Housing : an Infrastructure of Care ”, Power and Mee ( 2019 ) conceptualise infrastructure not as public or capital goods , but as “ dynamic patterns that are the foundation of social organisation ”. In doing so , they emphasise how infrastructure patterns social life and the values that are reproduced through their use . Under this framework , the defining factor of infrastructure is the movement or patterning of social form ( Berlant , 2016 ). In other words , their role as something that operates in the background to facilitate living and activity .
Similarly to how Power and Mee ( 2019 ) conceptualise housing as an infrastructure of care , this article will present public spaces as infrastructure of social connection ; key hubs for enabling connection between people . For these purposes , public spaces ( and quasi-public spaces ) are any places outside of the home or workplace that are open and accessible to the general public . Examples of the types of public spaces included under this definition are provided in figure 2
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