Using design to connect us
The Loneliness Lab, 2020
This guide to tackling loneliness through the built environment was produced by the Loneliness Lab, a collective of over 800 people and organisations working together to design out loneliness from our cities.
The guide begins with the premise that it is not enough to ask people to be better neighbours, citizens, friends – or to put the burden of tackling loneliness solely on the thousands of civil society organisations who do amazing work to connect the most vulnerable and isolated people in our society. It is essential to look at the structural drivers of loneliness and understand how urban design contributes to loneliness and disconnection in the first place.
A snapshot of insights and examples from numerous practitioners in the Loneliness Lab network, the guide hopes to inspire people and organisations to create resilient, distinctive and connected local spaces and places. Whether that means retrofitting an office to make it more welcoming as we move beyond the pandemic, or reimagining a park so that everyone feels they belong there.