Social Infrastructure: Directions for Leisure Studies

Abstract

The relatively recent rapid adoption of the concept of social infrastructure (SI) in numerous disciplines and fields stems from its relevance to contemporary urban issues. SIs mediate social interactions between urban inhabitants, thereby fostering livability in cities. Leisure often occupies an implicit presence in most SI research, yet the potential emanating from SI’s conceptual versatility remains underexplored in leisure studies. To be sure, the availability and quality of SIs shape urban “leisure-in-public,” but alternative possibilities for reimagining SIs from a sociability and relationality framework open up new prospects for leisure research. By appreciating the distinction between public and parochial realms as they relate to the social production of space and the processes of community, this paper offers directions for future SI research in leisure studies.

Keywords:

• leisure
• placemaking
• public life
• public space
• social infrastructure

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.