A Public Space Isn’t Social Until Someone Makes the Invitation - Dr. Leigh Graham of the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation

Closer with Carol Coletta and Mark Wallace · Aug 13, 2026 · 36m

Bringing diverse people together in a public space is important, but recent research indicates that proximity alone does not create new connections.

In this episode of Closer, Dr. Leigh Graham, senior advisor for innovation research at the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University shares early insights from research and pilots in parks across the country. Dr. Graham has been working with Carol on exploring how public spaces can become engines of social interaction across race, class, age, and other differences.

What transforms strangers sharing a space into people who…