The Gabriel Garcia Marquez Library just opened in a working class neighborhood in Barcelona. It’s magical. It’s real. And it’s the kind of place that makes you wonder why every city doesn’t give its residents palaces for the people. #library In Barcelona, the #library is part of a larger social infrastructure. I spent the afternoon in a new “superblock,” which the city created by converting busy streets into places for people. They reduced air and noise pollution, cut carbon emissions, and supercharged social life.

I’m getting calls asking about the striking similarities between the Chicago heat wave and the #coronaviruspandemic. The crises are different in nature and scale, of course. Covid-19 is like multiple heat waves, per day. But they’ve unfolded in eerily parallel ways. (Thread 1/12) Scene 1: The heat approaches Chicago. Public health experts warn that it is not ordinary hot weather and could be extremely dangerous. It kills tens of thousands of chickens and cattle as it approaches the Midwest. Chicago city leaders dismiss concerns and go on vacation (2/12)

Tonight (of all nights), after a year of preparation, @playhousesquare @TheCityClub @CuyahogaLib & other partners are hosting me to discuss *Palaces* and our need for #SocialInfrastructure, for the #OneCommunityReads program. The timing is either disastrous or perfect. (Thread) Palaces is about the vital role of public, accessible, well-designed gathering places in democratic societies. #Libraries #Parks #Schools #Playgrounds It argues that we have failed to build & maintain them, that we exacerbate problems, like distrust & division, as a result (2/6)

I’m getting a lot of questions about “social infrastructure," the main idea in Palaces for the People. It’s a new concept, so I thought I’d explain it in a thread. I define social infrastructure as the physical places and organizations that shape the way people interact. (1/8) Social infrastructure is not “social capital”—a concept commonly used to measure people’s relationships and interpersonal networks—but the physical conditions that determine whether social capital develops. (2/8)