Many argue that we must address loneliness to counter its negative effects on our physical and mental health, but loneliness isn’t just bad for us as individuals — it’s bad for American communities. When we look back on this period decades from now, I believe that a lack of social connection will be revealed at the root of many of our economic, cultural and social problems, including our faltering democracy.
With advances in technology, a decline in participation in civic groups and the adoption of new post-pandemic habits, our lives seem to have been redesigned in ways that disconnect us. More and more, we date and shop online, work remotely, and don’t talk to neighbors or participate in clubs or civic activities.
And while many worthy efforts are underway to connect Americans to each other, a big challenge remains: There are not enough high-quality public places where Americans can connect. That’s because we’ve deprioritized investment in our shared civic spaces for at least a generation, leaving us with inadequate parks, trails, libraries and community centers, along with a backlog of maintenance issues for the spaces that do exist. It should be easy and compelling to connect in person, but for that to happen, community leaders must be willing to invest in and sustain welcoming and inviting public spaces.
This is not a new idea. Thousands of years ago, the public marketplace called "the agora" was inseparably linked to the basis of Greek democracy. More than 2,000 years later, the framers of the U.S. Constitution demonstrated an understanding of the link between public places and democracy, enshrining the rights of free speech and public assembly in the First Amendment.
Although it’s been suggested that the fundamental relationship between democracy and public space has eroded in the digital age, I have seen much to prove the opposite. Protests in public spaces across the world over the last decade, from the 2011 Arab Spring demonstrations in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, to the Occupy Wall Street rallies in Zuccotti Park in New York City, to 2013’s huge anti-government protest camp in Independence Square in Kyiv have prompted the sociologist Nilüfer Göle to assert the emergence of a new form of politics called “public space democracy.” Göle suggests that democracy’s decline can be arrested if the “emancipatory power of public space can be rediscovered personally and collectively.”
Our parks, trails and community centers are the exact places where we should kick-start American democracy.
Few communities in Philadelphia (where I work) have suffered more from a lack of civic space than the adjoining Central City neighborhoods of Callowhill and North Chinatown. A former industrial area that is now home to housing located in converted factories, until recently these neighborhoods did not have a single park, recreation center, library or school.
Solutions to address the lack of civic space have come from local residents, who envisioned reusing a long-abandoned railroad viaduct as an elevated park space in the early 2000s. With support from national and local funders (including the foundation where I work), the community’s vision has today started to become a reality in what is called the Rail Park. Phase 1 of the park has walking paths, seating areas and oversized swings suitable for kids and adults, but most importantly it is a unique and authentic gathering place where none existed before.
Although today only a modest space of just over half an acre and less than a quarter-mile in length, the first phase of the Rail Park is already providing opportunities to create the kinds of connection and interaction that build trust. More than 5,000 visitors gathered in the space in the first few weeks of its opening in 2018. And unlike many other parks in Philadelphia, the Rail Park attracts and welcomes both locals and people from outside the neighborhood, further expanding the potential for diverse social connections and trust building. Planning for Phase 2 recently launched with an extensive community outreach effort to shape the design of the expanded park space, a process that garnered over 1,200 interactions.
Of course, just creating places to gather isn’t enough by itself — we need civic spaces of high quality, and we need to maintain what we have. These spaces must also be amply programmed with activities that welcome everyone and encourage connection among people from diverse communities.
If human connection is critical to a strong democracy, then high-quality civic space must be a top priority for people across all communities and levels of government. Federal, state and local funding for infrastructure should include provisions and funding categories that specifically support the development of equitable and inclusive civic and public spaces. Local governments should include design guidance and criteria in parks and recreation plans, to ensure that new public space investments fulfill the connecting role of civic space. We should learn from successful efforts in communities across the country and build these ideas into our communities from the ground up.
The resilient, prosperous and connected American communities of the future will be the places where people deeply understand the fundamental principle: There is no civic life without civic space.
Shawn McCaney is the executive director of the William Penn Foundation.
Governing’s opinion columns reflect the views of their authors and not necessarily those of Governing’s editors or management.
Related Articles
