Sports Cages as Social Infrastructure: Sociality, Context, and Contest in Hackney's Cages

The concept of social infrastructure has experienced a rapid rise to prominence in recent years, both in academia and in policy. In this article, we explore a case study of cages (also known as Multi-Use Games Areas) in Hackney, North-East London. We argue that cages are forms of urban infrastructure which can facilitate multiple forms of sociality—especially for young people—and can thus be deemed valuable social infrastructure. However, this value can only be understood in context—in relation to the joys and harms of growing up in Hackney—and as in contest—the status and meaning of the cage is different for different groups, and there are considerable tensions over their use, ownership, and management. In our examination of the cage, we aim to explore and build upon existing conceptions of social infrastructure.