The modern world excels at building systems, but it fails at building communities. It constructs highways, shopping malls, and corporate towers, yet leaves people with nowhere to simply exist together.

The result is a profound social alienation, where people move through life as isolated units rather than members of a collective whole. In the past, town squares, religious spaces, and neighborhood gathering places naturally provided this function. But as public spaces are privatized as spaces of consumption, the fabric of community life unravels.

Nowhere is this more evident than in how we treat our elders. In many traditional societies, elders were the keepers of wisdom, respected for their experience and entrusted with guiding younger generations. The Iroquois Confederacy gave elders a vital role in decision-making, ensuring that the accumulated knowledge of the past shaped the future. In contrast, modern industrialized nations treat aging as an inconvenience, relegating older people to isolation, whether in underfunded nursing homes or in homes of their own, unseen and unheard.

Loneliness among seniors is a silent epidemic. Studies show that social isolation increases the risk of dementia, heart disease, and depression. A report from the National Institute on Aging found that chronic loneliness is as harmful to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. In Japan, where extreme social isolation among the elderly has led to a rise in lonely deaths (kodokushi), the government has vested in senior-focused community centers to combat the crisis. The U.S., however, has done little to address the problem beyond occasional token programs.

But the need for community centers extends beyond seniors. They are vital for young families, for immigrants trying to integrate, for teenagers who need safe places to gather, and for anyone who seeks connection outside of digital screens. Historically, community centers have been lifelines during times of crisis, serving as food distribution hubs, emergency shelters, and organizing spaces for local advocacy. When Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, churches and community centers were the first to provide aid, long before government assistance arrived. Strong public spaces make societies resilient.

Countries that prioritize communal infrastructure see the benefits. Denmark has extensive publicly funded forsamlingshuse—gathering houses open to all, where people of all ages meet, share meals, and participate in local decision-making. In Finland, kulttuuritalo (culture houses) provide childcare, arts programs and senior activities, so that everyone has a place to belong. These are not welfare programs, but essential elements of civic life—investments in social health just as critical as investments in roads.

Yet in the United States, community and senior centers are chronically underfunded, treated as afterthoughts rather than necessities. Cities spend billions on new stadiums for billionaire-owned sports teams but close down public spaces for lack of funding. The result is predictable: loneliness rises, crime increases, and social cohesion weakens. When people have no shared space, they cease to see themselves as part of a collective.

Community and senior centers must be treated as vital infrastructure, not optional amenities. They must be easily accessible, well-funded, and built in every town and neighborhood. Their programs must be free or low-cost, ensuring that economic barriers do not exclude anyone. They must offer everything from intergenerational mentorship programs to arts and cultural events to mental health support. When designed well, these centers become not just places to visit, but anchors of communal life.

Therefore, under Folklaw:

Every community shall have publicly funded and accessible gathering spaces that serve all ages, with a particular focus on seniors and intergenerational connection. No town or city may neglect the creation and maintenance of these centers. Funding shall be allocated to ensure they remain vibrant, well-staffed, and open to all. A nation without communal spaces is but a collection of strangers.