Well - glib repliers are still readers, so I can't complain :). I agree with what you say and sympathize with that struggle to maintain public spaces. I imagine

Well - glib repliers are still readers, so I can't complain :). I agree with what you say and sympathize with that struggle to maintain public spaces. I imagine COVID threatened the pubs' position as well. The cultural/economic elite are, like you say, cushioned somewhat from this. For example, a membership to "The Wing" in NYC or other expensive social clubs provides that physical space based in a shared identity. In my town, an area that was once a thriving arts district with inexpensive warehouse spaces for galleries, co-ops, etc. has been replaced with numerous luxury hotels and housing/businesses that cater to well-off students. I'm left wondering how we can create popular alternatives that provide the basis for social cohesion. Re: the mall, if people can't at least have a place to bump into each other in line or sit at the food court together, I worry we'll continue along a bad path. I work in parks and recreation so I gravitate to public parks as a solution. They're places where it's normal to strike up a conversation with a stranger, there's no pressure to spend money and so on. There's been a conflict here over a restaurant and apartment/business complex being built into our main downtown park, drawing criticism that the park is effectively being privatized. Obviously I'm not a social scientist, these are things I'm exploring from my perspective while watching a city change over the years. But COVID especially has me thinking about how we will rebuild public life and avoid an existence where we are connected primarily by social media and understanding life through the superficial aesthetic/media categorizations it fosters.