For many of us, one of the worst parts of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the isolation. Digital hangouts do not satisfy our need to be in public in the company of others. On-screen, we remain apart, each in our discrete boxes — alone together, if you will.

People have flocked to parks during the pandemic, and with good reason: they are one of the few public spaces we may enter safely and freely and experience a respite from COVID-19-related stress. The pandemic has given us a renewed appreciation for the spaces that we share, where we encounter one another, and where we affirm our common experience.

Which makes this an opportune time for a massive investment in public infrastructure. President Joe Biden has unveiled a plan to repair roads, bridges, ports, and public transit systems, while also expanding the number of energy-efficient housing units, renovating schools in minority neighborhoods, and “address[ing] the disproportionate air pollution in communities of color.”