Social infrastructure: how shared spaces make communities work. Briefing

Author(s)

AMBITION FOR AGEING

Publisher(s):

Ambition for Ageing

Publication year:

2019

This briefing highlights the importance of shared spaces to help reduce social isolation amongst older people as the population ages and austerity leads to more and more state responsibilities falling to civil society. Shared spaces could be public libraries, commercial spaces such as cafes or leisure facilities and parks and green spaces. The briefing explains how different kinds of shared spaces help support different types and levels of social capital. This can be between people who share a common bond as well as connections between diverse groups of people. The ability to build even weak social ties with a diversity of people can help provide bridges to new social worlds, helping older people feel more connected to the places in which they live and improving resilience. The briefing summarises findings from the report, 'Social Infrastructure: how shared spaces make communities work' produced by MICRA as part of the Ambition for Ageing programme. (Edited publisher abstract)