Examining America’s Civic Condition: Mapping Third Places and Qualitatively Investigating Civic Engagement

Abstract

The rising sense of anomie and the dramatic decline of community in every conceivable measure remain a disconcerting issue that urban sociologists have sought to address. Abundant research has underscored the role that social infrastructure plays in enhancing well-being, fostering social connections, and strengthening community resilience. However, little work has been done to analyze the effects more granularly. I use block group data to map out and model the relationship between social-commercial infrastructure allocation, household income, and Black population levels in two counties. The results show a negative correlation between the density of establishments and higher income residents, and a negative correlation with Black concentrations, albeit due to different reasons. Furthermore, through in-depth interviews, I unfolded a complex narrative, with participants expressing that their prosocial behaviors were akin to inherent value systems, while others described their disengagement through a lens of skepticism and self-preservation. ​ I also use participants’ anecdotes to broaden the definitions of civic engagement and to include attitudinal dispositions as a metric of being civically engaged. Most importantly, I challenge a long-held conclusion that third-place closure is a primary cause in the decline of civic engagement and social capital creation, but rather show that multiple dimensions of inequality have practical and psychological implications to confound the activeness of civic life.