Community gathering spaces coax neighbors to interact, and great community gathering spaces coax neighbors to communicate, collaborate, support one another, and develop trust in each other. Sociologist Eric Klinenberg explains in his book Palaces for the People, “People forge bonds in places that have health social infrastructures—not because they set out to build community, but because when people engage in sustained, recurrent interaction, particularly while doing things they enjoy, relationships inevitably grow.” And in the midst and aftermath of extreme weather and other climate-related disasters, those neighbor-to-neighbor relationships are imperative. 

When working to better understand the outcomes of the devastating 1995 Chicago heat wave, which killed over 700 people, Eric Klinenberg found that close connections to other community members made people far more likely to survive. After he poured over quantitative data and couldn’t find any explanations for the disparities in heat-related deaths between neighborhoods, he took to the streets and found that the communities with lively foot traffic, well-maintained parks, and an abundance of spots for neighbors to convene had fared much better. Meanwhile, in both extremely affluent neighborhoods and neighborhoods impacted by structural racism, poverty, and disinvestment, neighbors that were more isolated from one another, particularly elders and disabled folks living alone, fared worse. 

Neighborhoods brimming with spaces for community members to gather are generally more sociable, exciting, beautiful, accessible, and inclusive. Community gathering spaces can help folks to fill free time in meaningful and enjoyable ways and create pockets of joy, rest, and connection in between the workday or schoolday and sleep. They can help to ward off loneliness and isolation. They can help retain young people who might otherwise leave for places where there’s “more to do.” They can be a lifeline and respite from difficult living situations. And on and on. 

Community gathering spaces that endure over time can also help to establish a community’s sense of place and culture. They make home feel more like home. 

“We can do better than simple sea walls and reservoirs. If we make social infrastructure a part of our climate security strategy, we’ll not only be safer in the next disaster, we’ll be better off every day.” -public sociologist Eric Klinenberg (source) 

When disaster hits or extreme weather intensifies, places that are familiar and inviting make the best refuges. Certain types of community gathering spaces are particularly well positioned to serve as havens and hubs during climate-related disasters and extreme weather, including (but not limited to): 

Libraries: Libraries have incredible potential to become hubs of community support during extreme weather events and disasters. They already serve as a safe and accessible daytime refuge for so many, including folks experiencing homelessness, and therefore libraries are typically already adept at connecting folks to social services, legal assistance, food and housing referrals, and more- all of which are frequently needed in the wake of disaster. 

Second of all, while few people want to leave the familiarity and comfort of their homes during an extreme weather event or disaster, most people find libraries to be welcoming, accessible, and friendly (over 90% according to a 2015 Pew survey!) and that makes a big difference when deciding whether to stay or go somewhere safer. 

Building retrofits such as energy efficiency measures, onsite renewable energy generation, and energy storage can help ensure that libraries can provide air-conditioning, heating, power, and other forms of support to community members through extreme weather and/or power outages. 

Other awesome resilience co-benefits include: 

• Cultivating intergenerational community; they foster connection organically by providing a social space and extensive programming for young children, elders, and everyone in between. Friendships and support networks emerge from book clubs, story hours, movie nights, music classes, sewing circles, volunteer shifts, and more;  
• Helping to fill some of the gaps as social and health services struggle to meet demand during extreme weather events and climate-related disasters. Many libraries already servie as ad hoc childcare and support for families and caretakers, offer free limited healthcare screening services and health-related programming, have social workers on staff to help address the needs of visitors, and/or have trained librarians to help visitors navigate health insurance, aging and mental health resources, and more. 

Parks and gardens: Parks and gardens are an incredible source of relief on hot days. Parks and gardens with ample tree canopy coverage and vegetative cover on the ground help to substantially cool temperatures through shading and evapotranspiration. On top of that, the difference between park temperatures and the surrounding area generates what’s known as a “park breeze.” Particularly for folks who live in cities and lack consistent access to air conditioning, green spaces are life-saving. 

There are numerous other resilience co-benefits, too, such as: 

• Absorbing water; when designed thoughtfully, with features like bioswales, rain gardens, and retention basins, parks can help absorb water from rain and/or storm surge flooding; 
• Sequestering carbon dioxide and producing oxygen;
• Supporting biodiversity by providing habitat and filtering the air, water, and soil; 
• Sometimes producing food and plant medicine; 
• Reducing acute stress and providing widespread health benefits for community members; 
• Helping children develop positive and meaningful relationships with nature and the more-than-human world; 
• Bolstering interaction between neighbors, social cohesion, and neighborhood provide; 
• And more! 

Houses of worship: Religious congregations are obvious havens for community members during disaster. For one, they’re everwhere. Eric Klinenberg explains, “People who do disaster planning have already identified religious organizations as key first responders and linchpins of community resilience — in part because they are ubiquitous. In the United States, there are more than 300,000 religious congregations.” Communities without much other social infrastructure will still often have a church, mosque, synagogue, or other physical space associated with a religious group. 

Plus, many houses of worship are equipped with industrial kitchens, childcare rooms, and gathering places. Some even have housing. Many already offer guidance and counseling to help folks navigate difficult transitions (which are rampant during climate disasters). They can easily contact and check in on congregation members. And they are often set up to mobilize volunteers at a moment’s notice. In short, houses of worship have a lot of physical and social infrastructure that can be put to use to help feed, house, convene, and guide community members during and after climate events. 

Affinity spaces: Many communities impacted by structural oppression and marginalization are both particularly vulnerable during climate-related disasters and particularly experienced in creating sanctuary spaces. Therefore, safe spaces created by and for these communities- queer and trans folks, disabled folks, undocumented folks, etc.- are vital to ensuring that nobody gets left behind during and after climate events (and yearround!).