Assessing the Social Outcomes of Social Infrastructure: Testing, and Implementing a Method within London's Local Authorities.

Abstract

Social infrastructure holds a prominent position on the urban agenda in numerous countries, cities, and communities (Fjellfeldt, Högström and Berglund Snodgrass 2022). It is increasingly recognized as a key component across all three dimensions of sustainable development - economic, social, and environmental (Klinenberg 2018). This acknowledgment is often reflected locally in development plans, nationally in national planning and social welfare policies and frameworks, and internationally in Pan-European Social Cohesion Agendas and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, there remains a limited understanding of what qualifies as social infrastructure, its values, benefits, and how it can be effectively assessed or provided (Latham and Layton, 2019).

This paper aims to address these questions by presenting the findings of a project partnership between a multidisciplinary research team of academics based at Cardiff University and the Greater London Authority (GLA). The objective is to establish innovative links between current research, practice, and policymaking on social infrastructure. The primary goal of the project is to test and implement an assessment method and indicators developed earlier by the research team (Aelbrecht and Stevens 2023) within London local authorities (LAs) to evaluate and compare different types of social infrastructure. The focus is on assessing the extent to which these infrastructures achieve intended social outcomes and support social cohesion. To achieve this, the developed assessment method attempts to create new connections between specific theories and methods of data collection and analysis (POEs, behavioral and spatial analysis, interviews) and policies. This allows simultaneous focused attention on the materiality of public space settings, their social affordances, and people's varied cultural, social, and biographical perspectives and roles.

Two types of social infrastructure, a public library in Camden and a market in Hackney, were selected as case studies due to their designation as pilot areas for the Mayor's Social Integration Lab. The former represents formal infrastructure (i.e., formally provided, publicly delivered, owned/managed, and funded spaces and services), while the latter exemplifies informal infrastructure (i.e., informal provision by private sector independent businesses and social enterprises, including spaces, networks, and support). Therefore, this project will benefit from insights gained through the implementation of previous projects by the GLA.

The methodology presented in this paper makes a meaningful contribution to future social infrastructure assessments, policies, and guidance. It establishes a new conceptual and evidentiary base, offering an interdisciplinary methodology that advances criteria, indicators, and measurements for evaluating the role of social infrastructure in promoting social cohesion. Moreover, the project successfully fosters collaboration between academics and policymakers, creating a close tie between research and policy agendas at the local, national, and international levels concerning social infrastructure and social cohesion, and demonstrating the benefit of interdisciplinary research.