Hello, ,

As we slowly emerge from our winter cocoons, we have a few updates to share.

• On March 1st, we facilitated a CMHC-hosted webinar with three HNC partners about building social sustainability in multi-unit housing. The webinar recording and a follow-up post are now live.

• In case you missed it, in January we published a series of practice guides, written for residents, landlords, housing operators, non-profit organizations, and municipal governments.

Find more recent articles below as well.

We hope you have the opportunity to enjoy spring's abundance and new growth in the coming weeks,

Hey Neighbour Collective

In case you missed it

Earlier this year, HNC published a series of practice guides that summarize key learnings about the vital roles that multi-unit building residents, landlords, plus municipal government and non-profits can play in fostering neighbour-to-neighbour connectedness and social resilience. They also point to top tips, tactics, and strategic approaches, and describe the most common benefits that emerge for everyone involved. All guides and video explainers can be found on our website.

Webinar recap: Social Sustainability in Multi-Unit Housing

On March 1st, Hey Neighbour Collective (HNC) and CMHC co-hosted a webinar entitled ‘Social Sustainability in Multi-Unit Housing.’ A diverse audience, including local and federal government employees, housing providers and non-profit organizations, heard from HNC partners about various approaches to building community, neighbourly social connections and resilience in multi-unit residential buildings. 

We are pleased to share the video and slides from the webinar, as well as the related resources and links from our speakers. 

Happy, healthy tenants benefit landlords, too

In this article, co-authored by Happy Cities and Hey Neighbour Collective, we outline three ways rental housing providers can support social connectedness within their buildings.

An earlier version of this article was published in LandlordBC’s print magazine - The Key - in September 2022.

How does housing density really affect life in cities? (report)

Canada is simultaneously experiencing a severe housing crisis and - like many other countries - a crisis of increasing loneliness and social isolation. Intervening to tackle loneliness and social isolation within the housing system presents many opportunities, but we need all hands on deck.

A review of research reveals six key factors that determine 'social quality of life' in high-density environments.

Research assistant profiles

We are fortunate to work with so many diverse, passionate students and researchers at Hey Neighbour. Below, we've included two of our recent research assistant profiles. We hope you enjoy getting to know more about Callista and Niloofar.

Callista Ottoni on community-engaged research, social connectedness and the magic of informal conversations

We had an enlivened conversation with Callista Ottoni, PhD candidate at UBC and Mitacs Intern for Hey Neighbour, on her community-engaged research and recent photography exhibit.

Niloofar Hedayati on how better use of space in multi-unit buildings can improve social connectedness among older adults

Over a lively phone call with Niloofar, we chatted about her work in Iran and how she’s applying that experience to new research in Canada.

Connect with Hey Neighbour Collective