The case for social infrastructure
We need infrastructure for social life just as much as we need it for water and electricity. Why don’t we provide it with the same rigour?
Social spaces, programs, and services create a foundation for healthy, connected communities. (Happy Cities)
What do you think of as ‘infrastructure’ in your city or neighbourhood?
Most people consider infrastructure as physical elements of the built environment—like roads, bridges, and buildings, or electricity wires and underground pipes.
We rely on infrastructure to go about our daily lives, and expect it to meet certain standards. If power went out regularly, or if a road ended half way down your street, you’d probably say the infrastructure is inadequate.
High-quality, consistent infrastructure enables city life as we know it—by connecting various systems, people, and places together.
But in focusing on utilities or physical systems, we often overlook social spaces and networks—things that are harder to quantify, but equally foundational to resilient, healthy communities. After all, socially connected residents are happier, healthier, and more productive. They cost less to the health care system, they’re more engaged in their communities, and more resilient during times of crisis.
In the face of mounting challenges—like social isolation and extreme weather—governments are paying more attention to ‘social infrastructure,’ with many cities including social connection as a policy goal in their official community plans. Yet, few have clear standards for measuring and providing social infrastructure.
Happy Cities is working with Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), academic partners, local governments, and community-serving organizations to address this challenge.
The challenge: How to measure social infrastructure
When assessing new housing or development applications, municipalities often make case-by-case decisions about social spaces, which can create neighbourhoods with varying levels of community facilities, programs, and services.
This case-by-case approach contrasts starkly with how we provide utilities or other physical infrastructure: When someone proposes a new development, they must work with the city to ensure that roads, water, and sewage have the capacity to service new homes and businesses.
Similar tools could help cities understand whether, for example, a new development has enough park space or child care nearby to support its future residents. Our research aims to explore metrics for social infrastructure and develop clearer standards for the social spaces, networks, and services required to support a thriving population.
Broadly, social infrastructure includes a range of public spaces—such as parks, community centres, libraries, child care facilities—as well as social programs, services, and networks that operate at a local scale. (Happy Cities)
How can social infrastructure build stronger communities?
Social spaces and connections strengthen wellbeing in our day-to-day lives, but they also equip us to better respond to stresses—both personal and collective.
For example, on a daily basis, community centres offer physical space: areas for teens to hang out, gyms and pools for exercise, or rooms to rent for a birthday party. But they also run wide-ranging programs and drop-in classes, from cooking skills to second languages, to games, sports, and play hours. These spaces and services offer the chance for community members to meet and get to know people they might not otherwise interact with—creating stronger, more connected, resilient communities.
Beyond day-to-day wellbeing, these spaces support resilience and health during times of crisis, too. When the heat dome hit B.C. in 2021, community centres contributed a crucial network of cooling centres—in many cases, saving lives.
Social infrastructure extends beyond and across physical spaces. Community-based programs and services are equally important for resilient communities. For example, Vancouver’s Resilient Neighbourhoods program collaborated with VCH and local neighbourhood houses to conduct wellness checks over the phone and door-to-door with older adults who might not be able to easily leave their house during extreme weather. One partner in the program, the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society, even offers land-based cooling, taking Elders out to nearby forests or lakes, and works with local businesses to provide ice cream vouchers during extreme heat.
These are just a few of many initiatives we heard from municipal and community partners who are engaging in this work. To dive deeper, we put together a background research brief exploring the benefits and challenges to measuring and providing social infrastructure.
Here are some key findings:
Parks provide spaces to socialize, exercise, and play, with one European study finding that loneliness decreases with every hour that people spend visiting green spaces. People living near parks also trust strangers more, are 33% more likely to meet weekly physical activity recommendations, and 39% less likely to have heart disease.
Previous research from VCH finds that people who rate the built environment of their neighbourhood more highly—including features such as attractive natural spaces and amenities within walking distance—reported a stronger sense of belonging and had more people in their lives they felt they could confide in.
Multiple studies find that social infrastructure—like libraries and child care—generate significant economic impact, by creating jobs, increasing local spending, and boosting GDP. One study finds that the Toronto Public Library generates $5.63 of economic impact for every dollar spent.
A U.K. study finds that every £1 million invested in social infrastructure generates £3.2 million in economic and fiscal benefits over a decade, including £2 million directly tied to employment, health, and local economic growth.
A call to action
Social infrastructure is more than just amenities or buildings—it encompasses the social networks and programs that bring shared spaces to life, and creates the foundation for thriving, healthy communities.
Communities across B.C. are all at different stages of planning for social infrastructure. Some have already developed a strategy, whereas others are just beginning to have these conversations. Our research aims to support municipalities in this process by collecting data and developing policy tools, recognizing that many municipalities are already overstretched trying to meet essential community needs.
As cities grow rapidly and build more homes, demand for community spaces and programs will also increase. Planners, advocates, and community members alike have a critical opportunity to shape this growth for the coming decades. Together, we can build happier, healthier, more equitable neighbourhoods—where everyone can access the social spaces and connections they need to thrive.
Want to get involved?
Contact us at info@happycities.com!
