Building Social Connections in Practice

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.

Get registered

About the workshops

The workshops are designed as a series , with each workshop building on the previous sessions. During each session, participants will hear from guest speakers, engage in small breakout group discussions, and connect with planners and professionals across Canada. All workshops will be hosted online via Zoom.

Workshop 1: Designing for Neighbourly Social Connections

Thursday, January 30, 2025
9 – 11:30 am Pacific
Learn more about Workshop 1 of 3

Workshop 2: Untangling the Affordability Puzzle

Thursday, February 20, 2025
9 – 11:30 a.m. PST (UTC-8h) / 12 – 2:30 p.m. EST
Learn more about Workshop 2 of 3

Workshop 3: Designing Housing Policies that Support Wellbeing for All

Thursday, April 10, 2025
9 – 11:30 a.m. PDT (UTC-7h) / 12 – 2:30 p.m. EDT
Learn more about Workshop 3 of 3

Who are these workshops for?

These workshops are designed specifically for local planners working on housing, community planning, and development policy in Canada. Workshops will be open to other housing professionals based on seat availability.

Let’s take action together! Join this learning cohort to gain actionable tools, valuable connections, and inspiration to drive meaningful change in your community. Participation is completely free, and covered by our funders: the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and the Max Bell Foundation.

To sign up, fill out our expression of interest form. We will confirm your registration via email. Sign up here: https://www.surveymonkey.ca/r/building-social-connections-workshops.

Building Social Connections in Practice: a workshop series.

Accreditation

These sessions will be eligible for professional learning credits – check our webpage to find out details in the coming weeks.

Testimonials

We’re committed to sharing knowledge and building capacity for those working in housing, community planning, and development. But don’t take it from us—take it from those who’ve participated in our sessions:

“This work requires that we work across divisions and roles. We have to collaborate to do this together because none of us holds the full picture/responsibility.”
Christa Brown, City of Surrey

“In this time of change [this workshop] was a helpful reminder that while we are building housing faster and more of it, we need to pay attention to the sociability of it and get it right – design matters. If we don’t get it right, we risk ruining it for a generation.”
Renee de St Croix, City of North Vancouver / City of Coquitlam

Thank you to our funders and collaborators

We are grateful for the support of Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and the Max Bell foundation for this workshop series.

These workshops were developed in partnership with SFU Renewable Cities.

FAQ

Are the sessions free to attend?

Yes, the sessions are free!

Do I have to attend all three workshop sessions to sign up?

The three workshops are intended as a learning series. We will build on concepts shared in sessions one and two to build up to session three. That being said, we know things come up! If you miss one session, we will have recordings available so that you can stay up to date with the learning cohort.

Will I be able to write new policy based on the information in this session?

Through the process, you will gain significant insights and understanding of how to think intentionally about design and policy for better social connection and inclusion. The sessions will give you the foundational knowledge to create a roadmap to do the work – whether it’s integrating ideas into your next OCP, streamlining your regulations, or creating new incentive-based guidelines. We will provide opportunities to speak with planners who have already done the work (or are in the process of doing it) and provide other case studies to help you find the best solution for your local government.

Will there be follow-up resources or tools after the session?

Yes! Each session will include preparatory materials, as well as summaries and take aways that you can use to share back with your colleagues.

Can I get one-on-one support for my projects?

Our team would be pleased to discuss implementation with your local government after/during the sessions. This work would generally be done as fee-for-service to help you implement these ideas.

What is the difference between the live sessions and the recordings?

During the live sessions, you will have the opportunity to actively participate and connect with planners from across Canada – as well as our invited experts and presenters. These workshops are not just about learning—they’re about connecting and taking action together. Participate in small breakout groups and engaging discussions with planners and professionals across Canada.

Are these sessions open to architects, developers or housing operations?

Yes! If you are interested in the sessions, we encourage you to express your interest. Although we are saving spots for planners, a big goal of these workshops is to create a dialogue between different parts of the housing system.

Can I join if i’m outside Canada?

Yes, we encourage you to apply. However, we will be prioritizing Canadian participants for the live spaces.

Are there prerequisites or required experience for attending?

No! Just a willingness to learn and challenge yourself.

How can I collaborate with peers after the workshops end?

We will collect consent to share contact information with you of other interested participations, to help you create opportunities to connect. We will have opportunities for virtual networking and conversations with your peers.

What will happen during the breakout groups/activities?

The breakout groups/activities will be structured so as to give you the opportunity to ask questions to our invited experts and connect with your peers. Rest assured that we will have facilitators present to help guide the conversation and make sure the time is used productively.

Will there be homework?

Yes, we will provide some suggested resources, readings, and prompts to help you get the most out of the experience. However, the goal is to help you integrate these ideas into planning work that you’re already doing!