Sociologists Eric Klinenberg and Sudhir Venkatesh will be featured in “Going Solo: A Conversation about Cities, Social Policy, and Public Sociology,” a discussion on the impact of increasing numbers of Americans who live alone in urban areas, on Tues., Feb. 21, 6-7:30 p.m. at the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Policy at NYU (Puck Building, 295 Lafayette St., 2nd Fl. [at the corner of Houston St.]).

The event is free and open to the public. To RSVP, go to: http://wagner.nyu.edu/events/policy-02-21-2012. For more information, call 212.998.7484. Reporters wishing to attend must RSVP to James Devitt, NYU’s Office of Public Affairs, at 212.998.6808 or james.devitt@nyu.edu. Photo ID required for entry.

In 1950, four million Americans lived alone. Today, more 32 million do, accounting for 28 percent of American households. The rates of living alone are even higher in urban areas. More than 40 percent of all households consist of just one person in Atlanta, Denver, Seattle, San Francisco, and Minneapolis. In Manhattan, the figure is nearly 50 percent.

Klinenberg, an NYU sociologist, examines the seismic impact of these changes in his new book, Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone (Penguin Press). Columbia Sociologist Sudhir Venkatesh has most recently authored Gang Leader for a Day (Penguin). During the event, they will also discuss the state of contemporary cities, and the reemergence of public sociology.

The discussion is co-sponsored by NYU Wagner and the Craft of Ethnography Project, a joint initiative of the Columbia University Department of Sociology and the NYU Institute for Public Knowledge.