Social infrastructure – News, Research and Analysis – The Conversation

The Moja Gabedi food garden and therapeutic space in Tshwane, South Africa. Courtesy Tlamelo Mojaphoko

July 26, 2026

Lessons from South Africa on how parks and community gardens can help cities adapt to climate change

Jan Hugo, University of Pretoria; Chrisna du Plessis, University of Pretoria, and Karina Landman, University of Pretoria

Parks do more than cool cities. They also help people work together to cope with climate change, but only if local communities help design, manage and care for them.

Tents and other structures are seen in an aerial view at a homeless encampment at Strathcona Park in April, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

October 19, 2021

Public libraries and faith‑based organizations join forces to address homelessness

Kaitlin Wynia Baluk, McMaster University

While public libraries and faith-based organizations may not be able to solve the issue of social stigma, looking at how they provide spaces for homeless people is a good place to start.

October 28, 2020

Will the population freeze allow our big cities to catch up on infrastructure?

Glen Searle, University of Sydney and Crystal Legacy, The University of Melbourne

The states are primarily responsible for providing infrastructure, but lack the budgets, especially since the pandemic hit revenues. Making up the shortfall depends very much on the Commonwealth.

Canada’s budgeting process needs to regard vaccination programs, to name just one example, the same way it regards investments in physical infrastructure like bridges and highways. (CDC/Unsplash)

July 14, 2020

The coronavirus shows we should treat public health the same as public works

Jeremiah Hurley, McMaster University

Canada needs to reform budgeting and reporting methods to recognize the true underlying nature and value of expenditures on social infrastructure.

Scott Morrison talked about first home buyers during the election campaign, but had little to say about social housing. Mick Tsikas/AAP

May 27, 2019

Is this a housing system that cares? That’s the question for Australians and their new government

Emma Power, Western Sydney University and Kathleen Mee, University of Newcastle

The Morrison government, having added a housing minister to its ranks, needs to recognise housing as having more than just economic value. Its impact on our ability to give and receive care is critical.

For suburbs like fast-growing Tarneit in the Wyndham area, ‘hard’ infrastructure gets priority, leaving ‘soft’ social infrastructure to catch up later. Chris Brown/flickr

October 17, 2017

Some suburbs are being short‑changed on services and liveability – which ones and what’s the solution?

Melanie Davern, RMIT University; Carl Higgs, RMIT University; Claire Boulange, RMIT University; Lucy Gunn, RMIT University, and Rebecca Roberts, RMIT University

Traditionally, new communities first get hard infrastructure – schools, hospitals, transport – and ‘soft’ social infrastructure comes later. Liveability and public health suffer as a result.

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