Communities across Canada face growing challenges—climate change, housing affordability, escalating construction costs, loneliness and social isolation, aging populations, and more. Housing is a critical tool for tackling many of these problems at once. In particular, the design of our homes influences how likely we are to feel happy, healthy, and connected with neighbours. The challenge? Local and municipal policy—often unintentionally—makes it incredibly difficult to design denser housing that supports social connection and wellbeing.
We’ve put together a series of three workshops for planners to gain practical tools to unlock the social potential of multi-unit housing in all types of communities. These workshops will tackle two fundamental questions.
- What design principles and strategies can enhance social wellbeing in multi-unit housing?
- How can planners implement policy to enable sociable design -- while maintaining affordability?
These workshops bring together years of research from Hey Neighbour Collective and Happy Cities, building on our recently released Building Social Connections Toolkit.
Multi-unit housing sometimes gets a reputation for feeling impersonal and isolating—but it doesn’t have to be. With the right policy tools, we can design new housing that contributes to more socially connected, resilient, inclusive, and age-friendly communities.
Join Hey Neighbour Collective and Happy Cities for three upcoming workshops to connect with leading experts in housing, urban planning, and design, and collaborate with peers who share a passion for building better communities.
Workshop 1: Designing for Neighbourly Social Connections
Workshop 2: Untangling the Affordability Puzzle
Workshop 3: Designing Housing Policies that Support Wellbeing for All
To learn more about the series and register, please visit: https://www.heyneighbourcollective.ca/2024/11/building-social-connections-in-practice/
