Building social connections: Case studies to inspire socially connected multi-unit housing
Happy Cities, Hey Neighbour Collective, and Simon Fraser University are working with six local governments in Metro Vancouver to co-create policies for social wellbeing in multi-unit housing.

The crises of social disconnection and housing affordability can be solved together.
Growing evidence shows that we can meet housing, affordability, and climate goals while also supporting community wellbeing. Loneliness and social isolation are a key challenge for many communities, including the Metro Vancouver region. The design of our homes and our neighbourhoods can play a crucial role in solving these challenges, together with public health and policy shifts.
To address these challenges, Happy Cities and Hey Neighbour Collective have been conducting research and engagement to identify impactful design strategies that can support health, wellbeing, and social connection in multi-unit housing.
This report is the first of a series of resources produced as part of the Building Social Connections project, in which Happy Cities, Hey Neighbour Collective, and researchers from the Simon Fraser University Department of Gerontology are working with six local governments to co-create new housing design policies that support wellbeing for all.
Purpose of these case studies
- Provide inspiration for local governments around developing housing that prioritizes social connection, wellbeing, and inclusion
- Offer insights into the policy context that can enable more socially connected housing and development
- Demonstrate how denser housing forms can support local government goals including social connection, health, sustainability, affordability, and inclusion
Understanding wellbeing
Wellbeing encompasses our physical and mental health, including how we perceive our own health. Many factors contribute to our overall health, including our sense of joy, meaning, belonging, and inclusion. In particular, our social ties are key predictors of wellbeing. These include both deeper relationships with family and friends, and casual encounters in the community. Strong social connections can boost a person’s overall wellbeing, and is closely linked to health and happiness. Neighbourly social connections in multi-unit housing also boost wellbeing.
For more information on the importance of neighbourly social connections, check out the Hey Neighbour Collective evidence backgrounder.
The case studies
The report includes seven multi-unit residential building case studies for sociable design. Case studies are intentionally chosen from Canada, the United States, and international contexts to provide a wide range of design and policy approaches. The buildings each take different approaches to meeting a range of goals through multi-unit housing design.
- Driftwood Village Cohousing, North Vancouver, Canada
- 823 to 841 Sixth Street, New Westminster, Canada
- 150 Dan Leckie Way, Toronto, Canada
- Dr. George W. Davis Senior Building, San Francisco, USA
- Arbor House, New York City, USA
- Kampung Admiralty, Woodlands, Singapore
- House of Generations, Aarhus, Denmark
This document was published by Happy Cities in October 2023, in collaboration with Hey Neighbour Collective. We are grateful to the residents, planners, designers, and architects who provided information to inform these case
studies.
This document received funding contributions from the Vancity Community Foundation, Canada Housing and Mortgage Corporation (CMHC), Metro Vancouver, City of North Vancouver and BC Healthy Communities.
This project received funding from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and the views expressed are those of the author and CMHC accepts no responsibility for them.