Building better with feedback loops
Maura Chestnutt discusses how tenants are helping Catalyst design buildings that foster greater privacy, security, and community.
Hey Neighbour Collective (HNC) is a systems change project that brings together housing providers, researchers, local and regional governments, housing associations and health authorities to experiment with and learn about ways of effectively building community, social connectedness and resilience in BC’s fast-growing vertical communities.
Maura Chestnutt discusses how tenants are helping Catalyst design buildings that foster greater privacy, security, and community.
Building Resilient Neighbourhoods’ Stacy Barter discusses the Connect &
Prepare program and how property managers can best support and benefit from social connectedness and emergency preparedness among tenants.
For property managers, it can be challenging to move a greater sense of community off the “nice to have” list and into an actual budget line item.
The Hey Neighbour Collective has prepared this input for the review of Metro 2040’s goal area 4.2: Develop healthy and complete communities with access to a range of services and amenities.
We worked with Happy Cities to develop a guidebook of engagement ideas to help people stay connected during times of physical distancing.
As part of a comprehensive company-wide approach to social sustainability, building on their experience in the City of Vancouver’s original Hey Neighbour Pilot Project, Concert has hired a dedicated Social Sustainability Coordinator.
The West End Seniors’ Network focuses on supporting older adults living in multi-unit residential buildings through their Close to Home initiative.
Building Resilient Neighbourhoods’s Connect & Prepare program builds emergency preparedness and community resilience between immediate neighbours by strengthening social connections.
Catalyst is carrying out a “Community Connections Pilot” which includes landlord-led or supported social events, workshops, and “Town Hall meetings”, as well as support for resident-led community building initiatives. In addition, they have set up communication systems to support community interaction, and are actively working with tenants to identify opportunities to maximize the social potential of the physical design of their buildings and properties.
Brightside carries out an annual community enhancement survey to assess residents’ happiness and well-being. Based on this, they are supporting a number of Community Development initiatives designed to build resilience and community amongst residents.
COVID-19 has presented particular challenges to operators of multi-unit rental housing, from mounting financial pressures due to residents’ challenges in paying rent, to managing new health protocols and restricting use of common spaces, to increased concerns around mental well-being, food security and tenant conflicts.
Read our Change Theory (PDF) about our intended impacts, supports of change, key strategies, collaborators, foundational principles, and more.
Explore our collective organization, from Experiment & Learn, to Research & Document, and Share & Mobilize.
The pilot aimed to Increase a sense of community amongst residents within their buildings, decrease the frequency and intensity of loneliness among residents, support participating buildings to feel like home, and not just a temporary place of residence, and more.
The Hey Neighbour Collective emerged from collaboration between staff involved in the City of Vancouver’s 2018-2019 Hey Neighbour! pilot project and a number of advisory committee members working on similar projects.