How do researcher-community partnerships turn the dial towards greater social connectedness?
Isn’t it ironic – a social connectedness researcher who collected data, while isolated in their own home, distanced from their participants? I think so. And that researcher was me. In…
Reducing social isolation among older adults helps everyone
Efforts to tackle social isolation among older Canadians could produce a wealth of health and lifestyle benefits for the country’s aging population. But the National Institute on Ageing also argues…
Loneliness at home: reviewing the Psychology of Loneliness report from the UK Campaign to End Loneliness
This article was originally produced for the Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative (CHEC). Loneliness has become an increasingly urgent public health issue with lasting implications for individuals’ health, well-being and risk…
Dorin Vaez Mahdavi on finding friends and what makes a city vibrant
How did you connect with Hey Neighbour? I came to Canada for my master’s of urban studies and was working with another professor on similar work to HNC. In my…
More housing supply isn’t a cure-all for the housing crisis
Canada needs to build more homes, faster, according to a recent report by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. The report estimates that British Columbia alone will need 570,000 new units by 2030…
Learning from community housing movements: Unlocking the social potential of parking spaces
A version of this article was first published at Happy Cities on May 18, 2022. Parking is a resource-intensive feature in most North American buildings. What if these resources could be freed…
Three ways neighbourhoods matter for older adult social connectedness
When the pandemic began, we knew little about its impact on the well-being of older adults. HNC collaborators set-out to find some answers. Below, we summarize some newly published findings…
Samantha Teichman on ageing in place and finding community in the big city
When did you join the Collective? I joined in the middle of March! I’m working on investigating the links between social connectedness and healthy ageing in multi-unit housing contexts. Or…
Breaking ground in removing social barriers
In a pioneering effort, the municipal government of Barcelona, Spain in 2020 launched a ten-year strategy to reduce isolation and loneliness (PDF) in the city. Elected councillor Joan Ramon Riera…