Social Spaces, Resilient Communities

Report Summary: Social infrastructure—or the spaces communities rely on to gather and build relationships—is a core aspect of building urban resilience. Social infrastructure can reduce vulnerability to climate hazards by addressing the underlying socioeconomic stresses that exacerbate those hazards’ impact on communities. These spaces help foster stronger social bonds, improve health and wellbeing, and create community amenities that support social equity and build value.

Real estate leaders can intentionally incorporate high-quality social gathering spaces as part of a holistic strategy on climate and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals, alongside more commonly known physical approaches such as green infrastructure or highly energy-efficient buildings.

The business case and co-benefits of social infrastructure can include enhanced asset value and marketability, increased interest from community-minded end users, and more stable long-term returns on investment through strengthened local economies.

This report uses research and a series of interviews with experts in the built environment—including developers, designers, resilience planners, and public health researchers—to:

• Provide a brief introduction for real estate developers and owners to the concept of social infrastructure.
• Explain the connections between social infrastructure and resilience to shocks and stresses.
• Present a business case for investing in social infrastructure.
• Describe the characteristics of successful social infrastructure for developers.
• Share a selection of types of social infrastructure and relevant project profiles.

By incorporating social infrastructure, real estate developers, owners, and managers can build better long-term ESG outcomes for everyone.

Key Takeaways

• Social infrastructure is a critical component of resilience that real estate leaders should consider integrating into climate strategies. Social infrastructure provides physical shelter, supports community responses to climate risks, reduces the impacts of social vulnerability and inequity, and increases overall individual and community health.
• Social infrastructure has a strong business case for real estate investment. The business case includes reduced downtime from climate hazards, increased marketability and asset value, smoother development processes, more stable property markets, and more.
• Social infrastructure can be designed into multiple property types, such as multifamily, office, retail, or hospitality properties. Building social spaces into development frequently involves intentionally dedicating new or existing space to social uses, leveraging interstitial or “in-between” spaces, and mixing uses to bring different kinds of users together.
• Social infrastructure in real estate is most successful when it is inclusive and sustained. Strong social infrastructure prioritizes an orientation toward social equity and access, authentic co-development with community stakeholders, and intentional attention to maintenance and programming.

Project Profiles

• Enghaveparken, Copenhagen
• School 77, Buffalo
• Mariposa District, Denver
• Freedom West, San Francisco
• Taylor Street Apartments, Chicago
• Hopeworks Station North, Everett, WA
• Oasis Terraces, Singapore
• The Eaton DC, Washington DC
• Via Verde, New York City
• Ko’olauloa Community Resilience Hub, Hau,ula, Hawaii
• Howard Hughes’ Master Planned Communities
• Veridian at County Farm, Ann Arbor, MI
• 63rd House, Chicago YMCA Facilities, Toronto
• YMCA Facilities, Toronto

Conclusion

Social infrastructure is at the core of building resilience to shocks and stresses. It can support social equity, reduce environmental and social vulnerabilities, build community assets, facilitate market growth and stability, and more—alongside its additional ecological co-benefits. Incorporating social infrastructure into development is a no-regrets strategy that demonstrates the opportunities resilience-building can create to transform places socially and ecologically. Leading real estate companies can take this contribution even further by supporting spaces that are welcoming for everyone and that remain safe and usable year-round, thereby creating attractive, lively, unique places that generate long-term returns.