Transforming social infrastructures: How to promote just and caring suburban spaces?

Abstract

This article is concerned with the meanings and tasks of social infrastructures in the everyday life of suburban neighborhoods. The changing Nordic welfare state model, the centralization of services, and the diversification of the many neighborhoods have led to a transformation in the availability and accessibility of services as well as the social life that is fundamental for the functioning of infrastructures. We explore how social infrastructures support the social life of the investigated neighborhoods and how they contribute to the formation of just, inclusive, and accessible urban spaces. Our theory-guided analysis of the interview data from two Finnish neighborhoods, Kontula in Helsinki and Varissuo in Turku, sheds light on these questions as it includes the experiences of people whose work is related to the provision of social infrastructure. We identify the tasks of (1) fostering co-presence; (2) supporting sociability; (3) creating spaces of care and protection; and (4) supporting social inclusion and civic engagement from our data. These tasks are related to the debates on social justice, especially regarding distributive and interactional justice as well as everyday recognition and care ethics. Evaluating social infrastructures in the light of social justice helps to understand how social justice is practiced and enacted in everyday practices, and how social infrastructures can foster more just and caring cities.