HNC Feature: Building social connections in practice
Happy Cities led a national workshop series for planners in collaboration with Hey Neighbour Collective and SFU Renewable Cities.
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‘Age-Friendly Edition’ of the Building Social Connections toolkit
Designing multi-unit housing to support wellbeing at all ages and life stages.
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What makes an age-friendy home?
A version of this article was originally published by Happy Cities in March 2025. This post supplements the “Building Social Connections Toolkit: Age-friendly Edition,” which illustrates how to design home…
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Designing resilient and connected housing: Illustrations and insights from our design jam
This article was originally posted on January 2, 2025 at SFU Renewable Cities. Housing is particularly well-suited to multi-solving approaches, as it is so much more than four walls and a roof:…
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Designing Socially Connected Homes – small changes to make a big difference
This article, co-authored by Emma Avery (Urban Planner & Communications Specialist, Happy Cities) and Tara Fernando (Strategic Communications Specialist, Hey Neighbour Collective), originally appeared in the Fall 2024 issue of…
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Join the next ‘Housing That Connects Us’ webinar: Design tools to support wellbeing
Join Hey Neighbour Collective and Happy Cities on Thursday, October 3, 2024 from 10:00 – 11:00 AM PST for a dynamic conversation about the recently launched Building Social Connections toolkit! Communities…
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Building Social Connections: Toolbox of design actions to nurture wellbeing in multi-unit housing
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. …
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How can denser neighbourhoods support wellbeing?
New housing legislation from the Province of BC will mean more homes, but it’s not just density that matters.
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Join the next ‘Housing That Connects Us’ webinar: The Affordability Puzzle
The third in a three-part webinar series, ‘Housing That Connects Us: The affordability puzzle’ will hear from guest speakers on sociable design for multi-unit housing and how local governments can help support deepened affordability.
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Join the next ‘Housing That Connects Us’ webinar: a conversation with UK innovators
Hear from two UK innovators about the connection between housing and wellbeing.
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Join our ‘Housing That Connects Us’ webinar
Hear from local experts about the health and climate rationale for intergenerational ‘sociable’ design.
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Building social connections: Housing design policies to support wellbeing for all
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.
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Seven lessons for implementing social activities in rental housing
Social activities for neighbours can help build a sense of community, boosting health, happiness, and resilience in multi-unit buildings.
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Learning from community housing movements: Transforming corridors into social spaces
Hallways, entrances, and exits are primarily designed with fire safety in mind, which can lead to long, monotonous corridors.
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Learning from community housing movements: The social potential of multi-unit building lobbies
Five design strategies for transforming a lobby into an awesome social space.
