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Home // About //

Happy Cities

Happy Cities is an urban planning, design, and engagement consulting firm and a certified B Corp. They work with clients around the world to create happier, healthier and more inclusive communities. Happy Cities is a long-time Research and Engagement collaborator with HNC. Below, you can find outputs from our many collaborations.

https://www.heyneighbourcollective.ca/author/happy-cities/

  • The cover image for the Age-friendly edition of the Building Social Connections toolkit.
    Reports

    ‘Age-Friendly Edition’ of the Building Social Connections toolkit

    By Happy Cities & Hey Neighbour Collective 2025 . 05 . 272025 . 08 . 15

    Designing multi-unit housing to support wellbeing at all ages and life stages.

    Read More ‘Age-Friendly Edition’ of the Building Social Connections toolkitContinue

  • An line drawing illustration showing groups of people socializing in and in front of a multi-unit building.
    Reports

    Building Social Connections: Toolbox of design actions to nurture wellbeing in multi-unit housing

    By Happy Cities & Hey Neighbour Collective 2024 . 08 . 012025 . 06 . 23

    Our neighbours are our closest source of social support and connection. Socially connected homes and neighbourhoods nurture greater physical and mental health, community resilience, and social trust between diverse residents. …

    Read More Building Social Connections: Toolbox of design actions to nurture wellbeing in multi-unit housingContinue

  • A digital rendering of Aster, a 12-storey, non-market housing development that shows the building from a distance surrounded by greenery.
    Resources

    How can denser neighbourhoods support wellbeing?

    By Happy Cities & Hey Neighbour Collective 2024 . 06 . 282025 . 03 . 04

    New housing legislation from the Province of BC will mean more homes, but it’s not just density that matters.

    Read More How can denser neighbourhoods support wellbeing?Continue

  • Building social connections: Case studies to inspire socially connected multi-unit housing, report cover.
    Reports

    Building social connections: Case studies to inspire socially connected multi-unit housing

    By Hey Neighbour Collective & Happy Cities 2023 . 12 . 132024 . 02 . 11

    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.

    Read More Building social connections: Case studies to inspire socially connected multi-unit housingContinue

  • Multi-unit housing can be designed to meet residents’ needs at all stages of life. (Happy Cities)
    Reports

    Aging in the right place: Designing housing for wellbeing and older adults

    By Happy Cities & Hey Neighbour Collective 2023 . 11 . 142023 . 11 . 14

    Design strategies and research to support aging in the right place, from a collaborative multi-unit rental building project between Happy Cities, Hey Neighbour Collective, SFU’s Department of Gerontology, Concert Properties and Brightside Community Homes.

    Read More Aging in the right place: Designing housing for wellbeing and older adultsContinue

  • Three women sit outside at a cafe drinking coffee and laughing with a crowd of people in the background.
    News

    How density can boost wellbeing

    By Happy Cities 2023 . 06 . 232023 . 06 . 27

    People who oppose rezoning single-family neighbourhoods often claim that density is bad for our health and wellbeing. But what does the data really say? With the B.C. government’s recent announcement…

    Read More How density can boost wellbeingContinue

  • A montage of illustrations show people interacting.
    Reports

    Practice Guide: Learning from the community connectors

    By Happy Cities 2023 . 03 . 282025 . 03 . 04

    Practice guide for implementing resident-led social programming in multi-unit rental housing.

    Read More Practice Guide: Learning from the community connectorsContinue

  • A montage of illustrations of people doing activities together like volleyball and tea and remote connecting.
    Resources

    Seven lessons for implementing social activities in rental housing

    By Happy Cities 2022 . 12 . 162024 . 02 . 09

    Social activities for neighbours can help build a sense of community, boosting health, happiness, and resilience in multi-unit buildings.

    Read More Seven lessons for implementing social activities in rental housingContinue

  • Happy, healthy tenants benefit landlords, too
    News

    Happy, healthy tenants benefit landlords, too

    By Happy Cities & Hey Neighbour Collective 2022 . 12 . 062023 . 05 . 08

    Three ways rental housing providers can support social connectedness within their buildings.

    Read More Happy, healthy tenants benefit landlords, tooContinue

  • A young person sits at a laptop smiling and chat with community members from the comfort of her kitchen table.
    News

    How an 11 year-old helped connect neighbours through the pandemic

    By Happy Cities 2022 . 12 . 022023 . 01 . 31

    In contrast to some claims that apartment living is lonely or isolating, the Community Connectors program shows that multi-unit buildings offer a wealth of social support at one’s fingertips.

    Read More How an 11 year-old helped connect neighbours through the pandemicContinue

  • A parklet in front of Quayside Cohousing featuring a converted and painted shipping container with outdoor seating and plants.
    Resources

    Learning from community housing movements: Unlocking the social potential of parking spaces

    By Happy Cities 2022 . 08 . 262022 . 09 . 20

    Parking is a resource-intensive use of space. What if these resources could be freed up to boost social connection instead?

    Read More Learning from community housing movements: Unlocking the social potential of parking spacesContinue

  • The exterior walkway at Quayside Village Cohousing features places to sit and chat, and is filled with plants.
    Resources

    Learning from community housing movements: Transforming corridors into social spaces

    By Happy Cities 2022 . 08 . 052022 . 09 . 13

    Hallways, entrances, and exits are primarily designed with fire safety in mind, which can lead to long, monotonous corridors.

    Read More Learning from community housing movements: Transforming corridors into social spacesContinue

  • Little Mountain Cohousing’s entry lounge becomes an impromptu play area after school lets out.
    Resources

    Learning from community housing movements: The social potential of multi-unit building lobbies

    By Happy Cities 2022 . 07 . 142022 . 09 . 13

    Five design strategies for transforming a lobby into an awesome social space.

    Read More Learning from community housing movements: The social potential of multi-unit building lobbiesContinue

  • Resource roundup from the Living Together Symposium.
    Resources

    Resource roundup from Living Together Symposium

    By Hey Neighbour Collective, Happy Cities, SFU Urban Studies & SFU Public Square 2022 . 07 . 052022 . 10 . 04

    Resources from presenters and participants from the symposium, presented by Hey Neighbour Collective, Happy Cities, SFU Urban Studies and SFU Public Square.

    Read More Resource roundup from Living Together SymposiumContinue

  • Residents play together in the common courtyard at Capitol Hill Urban Cohousing in Seattle.
    Resources

    Learning from community housing movements: Six principles for building happier homes

    By Happy Cities 2022 . 06 . 202022 . 09 . 13

    Feeling connected to our communities, neighbours, and friends is fundamental to human wellbeing.

    Read More Learning from community housing movements: Six principles for building happier homesContinue

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Hey Neighbour Collective

HNC is a project of the SFU Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue.

This license enables reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.

Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. If you would like to re-publish one of our posts, please email us at tnfernan@sfu.ca.

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Land acknowledgment

Simon Fraser University acknowledges the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), q̓íc̓əy̓ (Katzie), kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), Qayqayt, Kwantlen, Semiahmoo and Tsawwassen peoples on whose lands our three campuses reside.

Contact us

Michelle Hoar, Project Director
mhoar@sfu.ca
3300-515 West Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 5K3

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    • Interviews and Partner Snapshots
    • News and Inspiration
    • Living Together Symposium
  • Updates
  • Donate
  • Hey Neighbour Collective
  • About us
    • Our Team
    • Subscribe
    • Contact Us
  • Active projects
    • Demonstration Partners
    • Research and Engagement
    • Housing That Connects Us
  • Resources
    • Practice Guides & Toolkits
    • Reports and Publications
    • Webinars, Videos, and Podcasts
    • Interviews and Partner Snapshots
    • News and Inspiration
    • Living Together Symposium
  • Updates
  • Donate
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