We can’t forget how important public gathering spaces are to our democracy

Hollie Russon Gilman wrote for The Hill to discuss the importance of civic and community power-building through community-based projects.

Projects like Giving Grove are popping up around the country and are vital for the health of our democracy. Public gathering spaces like gardens, libraries, community centers, parks and public spaces are forms of civic infrastructure that build relationships and networks of support toward public participation and problem-solving. We cannot forget the civic infrastructure — the people, places and programs that are the essential backbone of our democracy, in our discussions of roads and bridges. The trusted intermediaries, grounded in communities’ historic inequities, memories and place, are some of the most important stalwarts against the anti-democratic forces at play across the country. Civic infrastructure can also be one important tool for advancing equity, as Policylink documented on its priority areas for the Biden-Harris administration to focus on to advancing racial equity through the American Rescue Plan.

Building this critical work of civic infrastructure to restore our national democracy is local by design and grounded in communities. In cities like Memphis and New York City, local librarians are joining forces to reinvigorate libraries as forms of civic infrastructure. Supported by the Our Common Purpose project from the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the Libraries as Bridges initiative aims to highlight the role that libraries play to promote democratic ideals in local communities by fostering community stewardship and developing civic engagement. One of the recommendations of the Our Common Purpose report was to develop a trust for funding civic infrastructure in local communities. 

Community-based projects provide critical spaces and avenues of support for residents, especially those who are underserved by other government institutions to have a say in their community and build healthier, safer, more equitable neighborhoods. In Baltimore and Philadelphia, community-based projects to redevelop vacant lots into public space are proving to not only be models for civic engagement but also a successful strategy for improving public health and safety systemically underinvested neighborhoods. These kinds of community-based investment projects have been associated with decreased rates of gun violence and depression.

Now is the time for our country to make much-needed investments in civic infrastructure to strengthen the muscles of civic engagement as a counterweight to the threats against democracy. In our current political climate, there is a lack of public trust in government institutions. The latest polling suggests Americans have historic low trust in the Supreme Court, with only 23 percent of Americans showing confidence. Yet, local communities now find themselves having to solve complex and challenging policy issues as a result of widespread federal deregulation from recent Supreme Court decisions.