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Introduction

No reader of this blog will need reminding of the impact of the places we live in have on our mental health. At their best, our cities can be diverse, collaborative, vibrant and social places that support connection, growth and opportunity. At their worst, they can be lonely, scary and overwhelming filled with deprivation, disorder and desperation.

Sadly, Whilst the economic benefits of urban areas are clear (cities such as London account for nearly half of the UK’s GDP), this often comes at a social cost. Loneliness, social tensions, congestion, pollution, crime and other environmental stressors of city life can heighten the risk of developing mental health issues. Indeed, city dwellers have a 40% increased risk of depression, 20% higher risk of anxiety, and double the risk of developing schizophrenia than people who live in more rural areas.

In its most serious form, the consequences can be severe. Over the last 50 years, global suicide rates have increased by 60% to the point where, globally, a person dies by suicide every 40 seconds. In the UK, suicide is the leading cause of death amongst 20–34 year olds.

The city of Derry/Londonderry in Northern Ireland is facing similar mental health challenges. The city lies on the banks of the river Foyle, which historically has acted as a natural divide between two communities. Despite considerable progress in the last two decades, including being named the UK city of culture in 2013, the city was for a long time dominated by ‘The Troubles’ of the last century, which still impacts the community today.

Northern Ireland has a 25% higher prevalence of mental health issues than England. Of 28 countries taking part in the World Mental Health Survey Initiative, Northern Ireland has the highest rate of posttraumatic stress disorder that is continuing to be experienced by those who were not born during the conflict period (the ceasefire babies). Many of the risk factors associated with suicide, including history of trauma, unemployment, drugs and alcohol misuse, social isolation and deprivation are all prevalent in the city of Derry/Londonderry.

The river Foyle plays a huge role in the story of poor mental health in Derry/Londonderry. Areas around the riverfront and bridges have become synonymous with mental health issues and suicidal behaviour. The negative stigma has grown to such a degree that the phrase “I’m ready for the Foyle” is used amongst local people as a way of portraying stress or hardship in daily life.

Project Aims

The Public Health Agency (PHA) in Northern Ireland teamed up with the Royal College of Art (RCA) and urban design studio Urban Scale Interventions to develop a community centred approach to tackling the negative stigma and mental health issues around the river Foyle.

The aim was to use design to create social and cultural interventions around the banks and bridges of the River Foyle that improve wellbeing, reduce suicide and create more positive associations with the riverfront. Suicide is a very personal behaviour, tackling the public spaces around the riverfront was seen as an important step to improve overall community wellbeing and reduce isolated locations where suicidal incidences may occur.

The project has pioneered new forms of community-centred design, with more than 15,000 residents involved in the design process. Engagement to understand perceptions of the riverfront and develop potential solutions have included temporary pop-up art installations such as a wooden whale based on a local folklore, cinema events, concerts and community events all to bring local people in to the re-design of the riverfront.

The Solutions

The research insights were distilled down into key opportunity areas around community, economy, interaction, experience and awareness and interpreted into necessary areas for interventions across the city. These were:

1. Foyle Reeds: A physical barrier and interactive light art installation

2. Foyle Bubbles: A series of portable satellite spaces along the riverfront that house community arts groups and local entrepreneurs, whilst also providing mental health awareness training.

3. Foyle Experience: A range of sensory behavioural interventions to influence how people experience the space.

The Foyle Reeds

The Foyle Reeds were created by building on the insight that the local flora and fauna surrounding the river Foyle are a source of inspiration and pride for local people. The Foyle Reeds is an interactive light installation and physical barrier that spans the length of the bridge. The lights change in colour and intensity as people walk over the bridge. The increased illumination ensures the area feels less secluded, whilst also aiding with surveillance through the CCTV cameras. Alongside capital and private investment, a sustainable economic model has been developed that allows local people to ‘adopt a light’ for a small fee — being able to change the colour and intensity of their light through a mobile app, whilst larger organisations and companies can light up the bridge to support a specific event for a larger fee. This new art installation can also be used for city wide events such as the Maritime Festival or Halloween Festival, to act as a beacon for the city in celebration of community events.

Foyle Bubbles

A second architectural intervention, the Foyle Bubbles, named after a local saying ‘Do I look like I came up the Foyle in a bubble?’, aims to increase the footfall and ‘eyes and ears’ along the riverfront and reduce isolation and disconnection. These have been designed as a series of portable public spaces or pods, that house community groups, arts organisations and local businesses and entrepreneurs.

Responding to the insight that many areas of the riverfront are either too dark, secluded or uninviting, the ‘Bubbles’ are designed to reimagine the riverfront as a place for socialising, working and shopping. Community engagement workshops showed a need for public services and destinations along the riverfront. Individuals said they felt that ‘there is nothing to walk to…there is just nowhere to go (at the river)’ and ‘there are not enough shops and cafes along the riverfront’. Further interviews showed there was a real need for cafes and shops, weather shelters, public toilets, mental health therapy spaces, youth zones and activities along the riverfront — thus the bubbles respond to this community need.

Occupancy is temporary and they can be moved along the riverfront to either bring services and activity to an area of the riverfront that may be isolated or neglected, or can be moved into positions where community events are being hosted, to act as ‘pop-up’ venues.

However, as well as designing the physical public spaces that increase activity along the riverfront, a social operational model has been developed to ensure the original aims of the project are being adhered to. In the model, the rent of the ‘Bubble’ is offered at a reduced rate, encouraging people who would otherwise find it hard to finance or lease public spaces in the town centre a step onto the business ladder. However, this reduced rent is on the proviso that all ‘Bubble’ occupiers undergo suicide prevention training. This professional mental health training educates people on how to identify and support people who may be at risk along the riverfront. This enables occupiers of the ‘Bubbles’ to have everyday engagement with the community whilst at the same time providing mental health support and counselling without stigma or a clinical setting.

The Foyle Experience

In certain locations it is not possible to provide an architectural intervention, for example on listed infrastructure or large expanses of space. In this instance the Foyle Experience has been developed as a range of light projections and soundscapes programmed by local artists and community groups. The installations help to connect people with the space through programmed content, but also offer a cognitive distraction that may be enough to deter or prevent harm. The intervention can help to provide a sense of connection and activity at times or places that are isolated and secluded.

Final Thoughts

Mental health within our urban areas is a pressing social challenge that only looks set to grow as the stressors of city living continue. We therefore need to find ways to engage with communities and experts, to develop interventions that aim to reduce the mental stress of city living and improves connection to and across our cities.

The Our Future Foyle project shows that creative interventions can be used to help tackle the most serious consequences of mental health challenges in our cities. The interventions discussed above aim to reduce isolation and connect people to their city as well as other people. In this way, design can be a powerful tool to design out loneliness and design in connection to the places we live, work and play.

For further information in this, and other design-led projects with social impact, visit www.urbanscaleinterventions.com

Designing Urban Areas to Improve Wellbeing: Design to Connect with Our Future Foyle was originally published in Loneliness Lab on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

When I was a child, I would often go to after school care while my parents worked. I hated it. I didn’t know anyone, and the kids were all older than me. My physical position outside of the group reflected how I felt inside — left out and alone. I would cry not wanting my parents to leave, but of course, they had to.

We’ve all felt lonely at some point in our lives, and for most of us living in a national lockdown, we feel lonelier than ever. Having said that, it’s just as important to reflect on when you haven’t felt lonely, when you’ve felt most connected to yourself and to those around you. For me, it was when I moved to Hong Kong when I was 19. The irony was that I didn’t know anyone, I didn’t understand the language, and to make matters stranger, I was served chicken feet on the first day! After arriving off the plane, I jumped in a cab which raced through Hong Kong in all its glory. Hong Kong wasn’t just the New York on steroids I’d dreamed of, it had mountains, beautiful high green mountains which enveloped the busy skyscrapers making up the city’s business district.

Despite the fact I was in a foreign country, I felt more at home than ever. What was it about that transition which made me feel alive and meant that people I knew for 5 months would be friends I speak to 6 years on? What made me feel so…

Connected?

The Loneliness Lab

I work as a Project Manager at Lendlease, and I applied to join the Loneliness Lab in 2018, walking through the underground tunnels of London Bridge into a world of excitement, and the chance to change the way buildings and public spaces are designed to tackle loneliness. The Lab was a design sprint where ideas could be piloted on a small scale, and then adapted to Urban Regeneration schemes, or to local communities. I was surrounded by a diverse group of people from all different backgrounds and occupations. What became clear, was that support would be required from all sections of society, including, corporates, NGO’s, charities, and local councils to create change.

I learned from the Lab that creating a sense of place isn’t just about the mix of land use you choose; social infrastructure + retail + homes + offices, doesn’t equate to a sense of place. It’s more than the sum of those parts. The question we must ask ourselves as a Developer is, can we do more to tackle loneliness? The answer must surely be yes. Bricks and mortar are no longer enough, and frankly they shouldn’t be.

The Redevelopment of Euston Station

I’m now working on the redevelopment of Euston Station, and I’ve spent time thinking about that feeling I had at the after school care, juxtaposed with the feeling of comfort and connection I experienced in Hong Kong. One thing I’ve realised is that places make us feel, and places where we feel we belong give us a sense of comfort, and the liberty to be ourselves. It’s through this lens that I try to imagine the development, and the work we are doing to turn 55 acres of land into a place where people want to come and spend time.

Our aim is to embed connectivity into the masterplan with a particular focus on public spaces, breaking down barriers which make people feel like they don’t belong, like the place isn’t their own. One way to do this has been to involve the local community in co-designing the public spaces. Lendlease and our partners, London Borough of Camden, Central Saint Martins, and MAKE @ Storygarden, hosted a workshop with local community groups, called ‘Creating Connectedness’. Participants were put into teams and had to think of ideas that could be developed to help create connections between people. The ideas were for different demographics since Camden is home to a diverse group of people, and loneliness can affect anyone. They are now being developed by participants in the workshop, and also members of the local community, and will be piloted around Camden once it’s safe to do so. If you’re planning a workshop to help find out what is causing loneliness in your area, we have some tools used in the workshop which you can find here. The tools include persona cards, a connectedness canvas, and a version of the loneliness map.

An example of how people can be brought together through design is using Nudge techniques. The example shown below plays upon our interest in having individual choice, whilst also contributing towards a collective result, and of course one of the most popular debates in football… (No Maradona?)

We are still in the early stages of the project, and there’s a lot of listening we need to do to really get understand the communities around Euston and what will make it an inclusive place for them. It’s only by listening and adapting, that we can make Euston a place where everyone feels like I did when I first moved to Hong Kong.

To find out more about the Euston Development, please visit: https://www.lendlease.com/euston/

Tackling Loneliness and Designing Connection into the Redevelopment of Euston Station was originally published in Loneliness Lab on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

From parks that welcome everyone to housing that turns neighbours into friends, we shared questions, perspectives and ideas, and identified shared challenges together to make our cities less lonely.

• We brought the conversations around loneliness in the built environment to one place.
• We uncovered the latest research and findings from designers and place-makers on how they’re designing connectedness into urban spaces.
• We explored opportunities for future action and have launched a global community platform to enable members to connect directly.

What we created together proved to be much bigger than ourselves; a heartfelt and thought-provoking week connecting a global community around a shared interest in tackling loneliness that surfaced some key insights.

In the first week, our learn-in featured the following sessions:

• Loneliness 101- discussing the latest in loneliness research, joined by the British Red Cross and London is Lonely.
• Workplaces — featuring Lendlease, Savills , Basha-Franklin and Workclub HQ.
• Residential spaces — with contributions from Matter, Space, Soul, Mainstay, Lendlease, Greater London Authority and graduates from the University of Cambridge.
• Public spaces — featuring Publica, Urban Scale Interventions, Street Space and Lendlease.
• Highstreets and shared spaces — featuring If_Do Architects, Elephant Says Hi, HKS Architects, Monkey Park community hub and the Centre for Ageing Better.

Full videos of these sessions are included below and the insights from the event series have been turned into a crowdsourced report.

We’re delighted that the ‘learn-in’ has already sparked several collaborations and collective action amongst the community, including a joint submission into the recent government white paper on planning.

To join the conversation and be part of future shared learnings and collaborations join the Loneliness Lab Network on Groups IO.

Loneliness 101

Thanks to: Rasteen Riyahi Boni (British Red Cross), Jake Heitland (Lendlease)

Workplace Loneliness

Thanks to: Clare Bailey (Savills), Rachel Edwards (Lendlease), Nicola Osborne (Basha-Franklin), Ajay Palekar (Workclub HQ)

Housing

Thanks to: Pauline Martin (Lendlease), Natasha Reid (Matter Space Soul, Anwyn Hocking, Shaun Matthews, Ernest Harris (Mainstay)

Public Spaces

Thanks to: Selina Mason (Lendlease), Lucy Pritchard(Publica), Jak Spender (Urban Scale Interventions), Philippa Banister (Street Space), Shaparak Rahimi (Lendlease)

High streets + communities

Thanks to: Emily Georghiou(Centre for Ageing Better), Erin Peavey (HKS Architects), Thomas Bryans (If_Do Architects), Liza Makarov (Elephant Says Hi), Simon Redding (Monkey Park)

Design to Connect: A Community Learn-in was originally published in Loneliness Lab on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Addressing loneliness through design WorkinMind.org

More than half of the world’s population is now living in cities, with the UN projecting by 2030 a predicted 5 billion of us will live in built-up areas. With urban living to significantly increase and isolation and loneliness a common side effect of city life, how do we design spaces to nurture connection?

Loneliness and the associated mental health issues is a hidden but serious problem in cities worldwide. With over 9 million lonely people in the UK, it’s a result of population mobility, different ways of living and a decline in community participation. It’s also a result of designing spaces that don’t make us happy, exacerbating feelings of disconnection and alienation. For too long we’ve been designing spaces that encourage loneliness and physically prevent us from connecting with each other.

As our home and working lives become even more blurred, now is the time to look at ways we can design in connection within our workplaces and local communities. From masterplanning to the design of office spaces, how can we nurture connection in our local communities?

What’s the true cost of loneliness?

Loneliness is as harmful to our health as smoking, with links to poorer physical and mental health, and increased use of GPs, hospitals and social services. It’s also bad for business, with the cost of loneliness to UK businesses estimated to be £2.23 billion per annum, equivalent to £82 per employee per year. In 2018, staff turnover, sickness and lost productivity cost employers about 8% of the average salary for a young person aged 18 to 29 years old, roughly equal to £1,723 per employee. The effects of the global pandemic are anticipated to exacerbate loneliness, particularly in single households and young people.

The cost of poor mental health to UK companies

Source: Deloitte

A study by the London School of Economics (LSE) also looked at the financial impact of chronic loneliness in older people. The cost for a decade for older people is calculated by the LSE to be at £6,000 per person, placing further strain on the NHS.

Emphasising connection

The most successful designs are those that make people feel welcome from the start. From the landscaping to the street design, we automatically feel at ease and comfortable. When we are designing neighbourhoods, we can start to design in moments of connection from the start.

Kings Cross has built its brand by striving to make it work as a whole: physically, economically, environmentally and socially. This whole place approach is about creating a successful physical infrastructure that allows people to connect, removing barriers and creating a lively pedestrian and social environment. Another example is Stratford’s International Quarter, a £2.4 billion joint venture development between Lendlease and London and Continental Railways (LCR). Still, in early days, it focuses on creating a welcoming neighbourhood where people, places and businesses can connect in new ways.

Knocking down the ivory tower

With some central offices now underutilised, there’s never been a more opportune time to look at how simple design solutions can nurture an entire community. According to Colin Macgadie, Creative Director at building design consultancy BDG: “Employers are wanting to break down the ‘ivory tower’ view of offices. It’s crazy most workspaces stand empty after 6pm through to 8am the following morning. Giving an office area back to the community after hours, or even during the day, keeps a building vibrant, gives it more of a purpose, keeps the neighbourhood exciting.”

While office design has started to become more informal, with open plan workspaces and café style breakout areas common, very few businesses have really connected with their local communities. Designs such as Woods Bagot’s 700 Bourke Street in Melbourne, home to National Australia Bank, is an early example of designing a space that can continue to be used after hours.

However, as a result of the pandemic, it’s even more important that we go beyond providing cafés and restaurants and look at how we open up our offices for community use. While attractive rooftop or street-level gardens will draw people in to use the spaces, we need to consider ways to create real connection.

Blurring the lines between work and play

While the lines between work and play were already becoming blurred, the recent pandemic showed how this shift was already in the making as everyone who could start working from home. Rather than seeing this as a negative, we need to consider how we can use this to have a positive effect on our addressing loneliness in our local communities.

Membership spaces such as Soho House, WeWork and the new London hotel, Birch, all thrive on blurring the lines between work and life. With an emphasis on connection and learning new skills in beautifully designed spaces, the buildings themselves are designed to make members feel welcome, supported and happy, while they are working and socialising. This is something businesses can learn from, particularly as we start to welcome more staff back to the office.

By offering community or working spaces during and after hours, workplaces can play a key role in addressing loneliness, nurturing connection and hope both within and outside the office. Staff can also share their skills with the local community, hosting events, meetups and skill shares. Businesses with larger offices can contribute to the growth of the local community and continue supporting the service businesses which have suffered as a result of Covid-19.

As a result of the pandemic, there’s also a demand by staff to be more involved in their communities. The recent Millennial survey by Deloitte showed that many millennials (23 years to 39 years) to and Gen Zs (5 years to 23 years) are inspired to make a positive impact on their communities. Encouraging staff to volunteer in local gardens, events and activities is a quick and easy way of creating more connections with the local community and reducing feelings of loneliness. Emphasising community within the workplace also builds healthy company culture, reinforcing company values and demonstrating that the company is dedicated to the communities they work with, both inside and around the building.

The Experience

In order to do address loneliness and nurture connection, we need to start thinking more about the experience, about how our spaces will be used now and in the future. Any communal space will look tired and dated too soon without people.

Membership and co-working spaces are particularly good at attracting people because they are putting on the activities that people want to come to. They encourage people to network, work together and share skills. Most people love to learn a new skill and workshop spaces with different experts all provide a way for different groups to come together and connect.

We need to learn from these businesses and apply the same approach when thinking about how office buildings will be experienced, both by staff and the local community. In turn, we’ll start to see relationships forming and long-term social cohesiveness within the neighbourhood. This will also have a positive knock-on effect on the social and economic vitality of the local area.

Supporting the local community

HGA’s Euclid Gallery, in Santa Monica, California, is an example of design with connection at the heart of it. The Gallery was specifically designed to inspire and engage employees while showcasing artists across a wide range of practices and providing a space for yoga and life drawing. The space is not only a place of community for the people who work there but also acts as a community space people living and working in the area as well.

Closer to home, Savills Birmingham office has chosen to support establishments when they know that their money will continue to circulate in the local community and enabling ways to showcase local artists. Savills sponsor the annual Birmingham School of Art (at BCU) end of year exhibition and commission an artist from this exhibition to complete a piece of work, displaying these artworks in the office. In addition to the commissioned work, a number of additional pieces have been loaned to Savills for display. These artworks provide a point of interest but also reinforce the Savills’ connection with and pride in the local community.

The New Standard for Design: Designing in connection

The bottom line is that by designing spaces that nurture relationships, we can start to reduce the very real costs of loneliness while working towards getting the UK economy back on track. The best and most effective way to reduce loneliness is by designing in connection. The Loneliness Lab began to explore what makes meaningful connections in the workplace and how design can influence how we behave in the office in their Workplace Loneliness Progress Report https://www.lonelinesslab.org/knowledge-hub/workplace-loneliness-report. Office buildings must become more than simply a space to work, and neighbourhoods places we can truly live, work and play in. Businesses need to think of themselves as public amenities with amazing experiences attached, nurturing the people who live around them. It is in these ways that we can build connected communities, both within and outside our offices.

This can also be viewed in work in mind

Designing Buildings for Community, Culture and Connection was originally published in Loneliness Lab on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Why do you love parks?

I’ve always loved parks — so much so that when I go somewhere new, I tend to search out its parks. A few years ago, I went to Beirut to do some research for a novel I was writing. I had a map of the city and scoured it, searching for a park to visit. I could find only one and it was some distance away. Nevertheless, I dragged my long-suffering husband there. In many ways, it was a disappointment — small, as parks go, with lots of gravel paths and pigeons. Even so, I still remember it — mostly because of the evident enjoyment on the faces of those that were there, all out in the fresh air in a communal space.

Because that’s the thing about parks. Not only are they the green lungs of our cities, an oasis of calm and tranquillity amid the noise, pollution and congestion of modern urban life (I’m talking pre-lockdown here!) but they’re also open to all. You don’t need money, or a ticket or a particular social background or education to enter a park. Anyone can stroll in…and they do! Where else can you find pram-pushing dads, dog-walking pensioners, lollipop-stained kids and a great big sprawling group of teenagers all in the same space — and all having a great time too?

Is there a particular park that is special to you?

Yes, we live opposite St Andrews Park in Bristol. This is a classic Victorian neighbourhood park surrounded by houses. It’s smallish — only about 11 acres — but it’s got a very distinctive character, partly because it’s on a slope, partly because of the diversity of trees including several European black pines, and partly because it’s the beating hub (sometimes literally when someone decides to practise their drumming skills al fresco!) of the local area. It’s also one of the most popular parks in Bristol and attracts visitors from all over the city to picnic, barbecue, jog, juggle, read, sunbathe, make music, play football, splash around in the paddling pool or just chill out.

My husband and I are both writers and after breakfast, we always do a mini commute of one lap of the park before we return home and climb the stairs to our respective studies. It’s a great way to start the working day.

What is it about parks that build connections?

Parks bring people from all walks of life together. Fellow dog-walkers stop for a chat. Mums and Dads make friends while watching their kids on the swings. People stop to watch tightrope walkers…and then get talking. Others sit down to listen to the young woman with a guitar vying with a blackbird to see who can sing loudest. Conversations follow.

When you visit a park often you get to know other frequent users, first by face, then, gradually by name. But you also connect with people you don’t know. On our mini commutes, my husband and I will always interact with at least one other person, often someone we’ve never met before. This morning, for example, we interacted with the young mum standing under the bird cherry tree, which is currently in full, heavily fragranced bloom. All these micro-social exchanges build community and a sense of belonging. And that’s really important, particularly for those who maybe feel they don’t belong — older retired people living on their own without family living nearby, single parents who’ve moved to the area and don’t know anyone apart from their sister (this was me a while back), homeless people who don’t have work or home to help them feel part of society.

Do parks need a focal point to promote these connections?

Yes, ideally parks need a focal point that makes it easy for people to connect with one another. Ours is a lovely tea garden run by a well-known local woman called Faye. She runs it in a converted trailer, rolling up each morning in her yellow VW van, unloading tables and chairs and packing everything away again every evening.

There are only six tables so often people have to share, and this facilitates conversations between strangers. For many people, the café is part of their daily routine, perhaps the only time in the day when they will talk to another human being.

What’s been your experience of parks in lockdown?

Other than food shops, parks are virtually the only place where you can legitimately still see other people, even if only fleetingly and in passing, as you each take your daily exercise. In lockdown Britain, they’ve also been one of the very few places (at least in cities) where you can still see people enjoying themselves — families doing silly exercises like running backwards, toddlers rolling down slopes, dog-walkers standing briefly in huge circles to swap news and ask if everyone’s OK. In Covid-19 times, we are all hungry for human contact and parks offer it, albeit in diminished form. Often, when I look back on a day, it is these tiny moments of contact — a neighbour waved to from a distance, the familiar face of the dog walker we call Mr Candy, a smile exchanged with the mother of a just-walking toddler — that stand out like stars in the darkness of physical distancing. I’ve never been more aware that we human beings are a social animal.

If you had a magic wand, what one thing would you change about our cities to make them less lonely?

I would create micro parks in every neighbourhood. It doesn’t take much land to do this — all you need is a small play area for children, trees, a few benches, one or two flowerbeds. Cities like Paris have micro parks like this in abundance, tucked away in dense residential areas. And they’re so much the richer for it.

Less Lonely with… parks was originally published in Loneliness Lab on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

In writing her thesis in Sweden, Martina Gnewski explores the link between loneliness and the built environment and examines how action can be taken to address the issue from a community-led and governance perspective

What is your degree project?

I’m studying a Master’s of Applied Cultural Analysis at Lund University and I’m due to graduate this June. Broadly speaking, my thesis is about loneliness in urban areas. Although the research was conducted in Scandinavia, the findings may be applicable to other regions as well. The overall aim of my thesis is to understand how social and cultural practices are formed within different spaces of the city and how this contributes to the experience of loneliness. As an ethnographic researcher I focus on the lived experience of how loneliness is felt and how it directs people’s actions. This perspective gives me insight into the everyday life of loneliness and allows me to see how norms, values, expectations, and behaviours contribute to that experience. This is explored in different scales, from the house to the neighbourhood, district and the city scale, to understand how loneliness manifests itself in different layers of the city.

What is Ethnographic research?

Ethnographic research is a form of qualitative research, and it often looks for the small and ‘insignificant’ i.e. taken for granted, aspects of everyday life. The lived experience is the focal point of ethnographic research. I think there is a real benefit to better understand loneliness, and public health in general, from a social and cultural perspective. The understanding of the lived experience is crucial to be able to grasp how loneliness affects people, and how it is constructed in society, to be able to put preventative measures in place. Ethnographic data can be collected in various ways, however for my thesis project I used interviews as my main method. I interviewed people living alone to narrow down my research given that loneliness is a broad topic, although this is not to say that all people living alone are lonely. I also interviewed other informants from the planning department at a municipality, and a housing coordinator of a local housing association in Sweden. This way I was able to explore the governance perspective on loneliness.

What are the main findings from your thesis project?

Although my thesis project looked at loneliness in a Scandinavian context, I believe there are findings that are relevant to other countries too, such as the UK. My findings are broken down into two main themes: trust and belonging, which should be present at different scales within the city in order to prevent loneliness. I’ve made a short summary per theme below:

Trust

Throughout my research it became evident that trust plays a significant role in preventing loneliness and in the formation of social relationships. It is impacted by the opportunities and limitations that exist in the physical environment. People tend to not trust strangers, which may narrow their ability to develop new social relationships. I found that trust is complex and often needs to be established in a person’s close surroundings before it can expand to wider society. So by encouraging individuals to develop closer social bonds with neighbours, their sense of trust in people can begin to grow. Therefore, housing and neighbourhood dynamics are essential for the prevention of loneliness. Within this, architecture can greatly facilitate new opportunities for social interactions on a housing and neighbourhood scale.

However, I found that in order to prevent loneliness and develop trust on a larger scale the root cause of segregation in cities needs to be addressed. By this I mean the divide between groups in society, in terms of who is included and excluded from places within the city. There is an unequal accessibility to public spaces, particularly for minority groups, which creates a disparity in the opportunities afforded for closer social ties and interaction. Additionally, with the digitalisation of services today there are less opportunities to meet people in public spaces, and as a result people are less likely to accept differences in others who may speak, act and look different.

I found that trust also closely correlates with safety, as to trust your surroundings is to feel safe within them. An individual’s mobility within the city is influenced by how safe they feel in their surroundings, which can severely limit their ability to socialise outside of the confines of their home. Ultimately, without trust in others individuals are bound to drift further apart, and are significantly more vulnerable to experiencing loneliness. By being further apart, they are less likely to form close social bonds that are established through common interests, and a deeper involvement in each other’s personal lives.

Belonging

Similarly to trust, a sense of belonging is a fundamental cornerstone in society, in other words to be seen and valued for who you are. Trust and belonging do not exist in separation from each other. On the contrary, the two depend on each other, as without trust there is no opportunity for belonging. The paradox of loneliness is that it is not just the lack of social interactions per se that causes the experience. Rather, my research found that it is the lack of access to deeper social interactions with people who share a similar outlook on life.

I found that marginalised communities are more prone to experience loneliness as they can feel separated from wider society. This may be due to resources and amenities being prioritised in ‘better serviced’ districts, which can impact the opportunities for residents to develop social ties, as they have to travel out of their district to access the experiences they desire. I also found that places in the city can become charged with expectations that inhibit people from using them, or that make people feel excluded within them, as they do not adhere to expected behaviour or values within these spaces.

Lastly, I found that districts with strong identities, historical ties, and traditions can better prevent loneliness for their residents. For example, the historical ties visible in the physical characteristics of older, familiar buildings can contribute to the identity and togetherness of its residents. This is important to consider in the redevelopment of neighbourhoods and districts. To summarise, a sense of belonging is not created by merely placing people in close proximity to one another. It is formed in shared values and through accessibility to the resources and experiences of the city one resides in.

Were you surprised by the themes that emerged from your study?

I wasn’t surprised to find out that trust and belonging are fundamental, as both these themes are important for the development of social relationships. However, I was surprised that both may need to be present at different scales for an individual’s ability to prevent loneliness. This begins at the home, expanding to the neighbourhood, the district, and the wider city.

What made you start the project?

I’ve moved countries a few times, so I know what loneliness feels like. I remember thinking about the possibility of befriending neighbours but it was difficult to connect, because it didn’t seem ‘appropriate’ in the context. I saw more limitations than opportunities for developing friendships with my neighbours.

When I started studying my master’s, in the second semester we were required to complete a work placement. I did my work placement at a co-creation/urban design consultancy called COurban Design Collective in Copenhagen. During my time there I completed an independent research project on loneliness and housing, where I wanted to determine if there is a link between housing type and loneliness. I found that there are many layers to loneliness, but that the physical environment, in this case housing, plays a significant role in encouraging or inhibiting social interactions. I wanted to develop and expand on this and decided to continue this research in my thesis project.

What can you suggest from what you have learned so far?

I think such findings could be of interest for research supporting public policy related to the development of urban areas. Starting at the housing level there should be better opportunities for residents to develop closer social ties through interactive features in shared spaces, such as within staircases that currently only perform as functional spaces. In neighbourhoods and districts, there should be a more equal level of investment in services and resources that offer accessibility to experiences for all residents within their districts. This enables changed mobility patterns that also assist in the development of new social ties that can be formed outside of their immediate social circle. These are only some examples that highlight how trust and belonging can be established at different scales within the city.

What have you learned about loneliness since you started your project?

That it is complex and there is no easy solution as loneliness is experienced differently by different people, although there are some common factors that contribute to the experience. Also, that loneliness is structurally embedded in our cities, meaning that the planning and designing of our cities has significant implications for people’s abilities to prevent loneliness.

What’s next for your project?

I recently completed the defence of my thesis, which was a great relief! I now have about one month to finish writing and editing, and once I’m done I’ll submit the final version in early June. In an ideal scenario, I would love to continue my research on loneliness, especially as it has become a very relevant topic during the pandemic.

If you had a magic wand, what one thing would you change about our cities to make them less lonely?

That’s a really tough question, as my research has shown there are many layers to the experience of loneliness. I would primarily ensure people have opportunities to form closer social connections in their neighbourhoods, for instance by facilitating community led initiatives and programs, as this builds trust and belonging that then hopefully transcends to wider society.

Where is your favourite space to go when you are feeling lonely?

I don’t have one specific place I go to, rather there are many. I would say walking around the town I live in and just seeing and hearing people tends to make me feel less lonely. I have a dog so it’s nice to walk around and explore with her!

Loneliness in Urban Areas — A Scandinavian Case Study was originally published in Loneliness Lab on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Whilst we live in an increasingly digital, and more recently isolated world, how do we build a sense of belonging with those who live closest to us? Social Care worker, Ruth Blayney, explains how a simple WhatsApp group she started in 2019 has been the backbone of helping her and her neighbours stay connected and supported, especially in recent times.

If we’ve learnt one thing during this pandemic, it’s the importance of our social networks. The community has never been more important, and for lots of people, this has meant getting to know their neighbours. Our cul-de-sac in a suburb of west Birmingham had a head start with this. Last year we started a WhatsApp group and it’s gone from strength to strength ever since.

There are 22 houses on our street, with residents made up of a mixture of families, professionals, retired people and a house share. My husband and I have lived here for nearly 3 years, during which time we have welcomed another housemate — our son. We both work, and our son attends a lovely local nursery a short walk away.

I work in Children’s Social Care, and some time ago was having a conversation with my team about how few of us knew our neighbours. My job involves encouraging people to work together, including neighbours, families and friends and I realised that I was missing an opportunity at home. Having also heard anecdotally that crime is lower in areas where people know their neighbours, I decided to give it a go. I made some flyers, and posted them through everyone’s front door- a simple offer to reply with a phone number if anyone wanted to join a group. I had a swift response with lots of positive comments, so we got up and running within a couple of weeks.. New residents on the street have been invited to join, and have all taken up the offer.

Getting to know my neighbours

The focus of the group was always about keeping in touch and sharing practical help- offering up a spare wardrobe, taking in parcels, sharing information about local events and having an informal social network. A few months ago there was a spate of car vandalism, and so we organised a lookout schedule every evening. This resulted in a formal Neighbourhood Watch group being formed, ably organised by 10B. When a police officer visited number 7 for another reason a couple of weeks later, he was very positive about the existence of our group.

Sustainable living and surprise gifting

The group has allowed us to be more sustainable — borrowing things rather than buying, sharing produce, and giving away things no longer wanted or needed. I had a preloved colander donated for a gardening project after a request to the group. Number 7 has shared out surplus baby courgette plants, and we get regular offers of fresh produce from Number 5’s allotment. I recently started using a local fruit and veg box delivery service, with weekly boxes arriving via bike, and after sharing details other neighbours have also started using the service. A new baby arrived a couple of months ago at number 23, and there’s another due at 10B — with a few young families on the street, it’s useful to share baby and toddler equipment that gets bought, used briefly and would be otherwise packed away.

When we went into lockdown, the group got busy and we started to share more information about local shop supplies, picking up things from the supermarket for one another, doing shopping for those in isolation, and what has now become a regular collection for the food bank. When I shared a couple of requests from a local charity organising food parcels for carrier bags and egg boxes, my front doorstep quickly became a mountain of both. We’ve had a collection of toiletries and cosmetics for a Women’s Centre in the city, and I’ve had bags of baby clothes donated to pass onto families in need.

We bemoaned the lack of flour available one day, and then a few days later I had a bag put on my doorstep from a neighbour who had found some at the supermarket. Number 11 mentioned they were on the lookout for yeast and we were happy to share from the supplies we had in the cupboard. Supermarket collections and deliveries are shared so that neighbours can add items they need.

Moral support and uplifting exchange

There’s also been moral support on the group — plenty of funny videos and memes shared to keep spirits up.

The weekend before lockdown we had a Social Distancing Street Party- organised in the group with expectations of what to do (and what not to do). After drawing 2m squares on the area at the end of our cul-de-sac, we carried chairs and cups of tea into the street and spent a lovely couple of hours chatting, from a distance, whilst a handful of children rode their scooters up and down and kicked a football around. A delivery van that arrived halfway through waited patiently whilst we moved out the way for him, and said he’d like to stay for a cup of tea!

The group is a success because, I think, of its simplicity. There’s no expectations or commitment — it’s a chance for people to offer what they can, take what they need, and leave behind what they don’t. It’s a support network that’s there in the background, close to home without being invasive. It’s rare that I go through a day without a wave from someone, despite not knowing them very well.

We live in a city of over a million people, which can at times feel overwhelming so getting to know my neighbours has helped me feel more at home here, and with a greater feeling of social ownership and investment in our little piece of West Birmingham.

Less Lonely with…neighbourhood community was originally published in Loneliness Lab on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

What is Her Barking?

Her Barking is a women-led movement experimenting to collaboratively design and test low cost interventions to make streets and spaces feel safer in Barking Town Centre.

Why when did you start the project/ What made you start the project?

I set up the project in 2018 after reading a council report about the difference in the level of perception of crime and the reality of crime in the town centre. Women, older and disabled people made up the majority of people who didn’t feel safe after dark which came to a whopping 51% of the population!

I felt angry that in the modern western world women are ultimately not able to access social or learning opportunities as they felt too fearful to leave the house after dark. I wanted to explore if we could use a human centred design problem solving process and apply it to the built environment. I needed to get under the skin of these perceptions, find out key locations where people felt unsafe and understand if small scale, low cost interventions designed locally could affect any change in how people feel and the stories we tell ourselves about a place. I believe if people feel safer they’re more relaxed and open to connection and ultimately the potential community holds. It’s like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs — if you don’t feel safe then nothing else has a chance.

What is your favourite thing that has happened as a result of your project?

After a year of identifying areas, testing ideas and beginning to build a movement locally we received funding from The National Lottery Community Fund. This meant we could commission artist/architect Hanna Benihoud to lead the collaborative design of an installation for St Awdry’s Walk, a fairly undesirable alleyway with lots of footfall connecting hundreds of commuters to Barking station. Emerging from engagement and community based workshops we designed an uplifting canopy of colourful shapes and solar powered light up messages that has just been installed! It’s been really challenging to pull off, especially in terms of getting permission from landowners, managing a whole range of risk and delivering the whole thing in a short time scale on a tight budget, but it’s really exciting to see people smiling as they look at it and messaging to say how they feel happy that something is happening in the alleyway.

What have you learned since you started your project?

To unlock rich ideas, ask better questions. In other words, to begin a process of re-imagination in a space people need a hook that makes sense. For example, at one of our first collaborative design workshops I asked the women who use the alleyway to imagine they were holding a birthday party for their best friend in the space — what would they do with £50 and the local shops? The ideas that flowed from this were so exciting!

The bolder your ideas are, the more likely people are to support. I was nervous to ask our contact at the shopping centre and Network Rail if we could drill into their walls to put up the structure, but if you frame things in the right way, are confident in the value the idea brings and have thought things through, then I think most of the time people want to be behind you. Don’t let getting permission be the thing that stops you! And if you don’t get an answer two, three or four times of asking, just keep going — eventually you’ll find a way to track someone down who wants to help and your persistence will be rewarded!

Start by starting. This is an Urbanistas favourite but it’s always front and centre in our work at Street Space. Take a deep breath and just begin, people will get behind you, tell you what’s working and what’s not and you’ll soon figure out a way forward.

Go where the energy for change is. After the first prototyping for Her Barking we had four locations across the town centre, each space had a complex set of constraints to contend with but we decided to focus on the alleyway first as it’s where most of the energy for change was/is.

What reactions have you received from the public with the changes the project made?

People love the installation and this has acted as a catalyst for bringing forward loads of other great ideas about how next to reimagine the alleyway, which is fantastic and just what we’d hoped! People feel really excited that something’s happening in this unloved part of the town centre and the people who’ve been a part of the design process are really proud to have helped shape their own neighbourhood in a positive way.

We know people dread walking through the alley on a daily basis and many have witnessed or experienced traumatic events there, we hope the installation makes their walk through just a tiny bit better.

What’s next for the project?

We’re trying to find funding to undertake an independent study of the intervention to figure out what the impact really is — can collaboratively designed changes have an impact on how safe people feel, even if the change is quite small? Does the story about the alleyway change or spread locally? Are people feeling less afraid when they use the alley? Are they imagining other spaces as a result? Are they more willing to connect with people in the alleyway now?

If you had a magic wand, what one thing would you change about our cities to make them less lonely?

I’d make it the norm that residential streets are closed to traffic every Sunday for a couple of hours — whether people choose to use the time to plant, chat, play, party, swap, eat, sell or share things together, I think we’d all get out and start to connect with each other without the barrier of cars in the way.

Where is your favourite space to go when you are feeling lonely?

I like to be near water when I’m feeling sad or lonely, so probably walking along the nearest river or reservoir.

Shaping Spaces to Foster Meaningful Connection was originally published in Loneliness Lab on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The day the UK went into lockdown, I was due to move to Bristol. Some weeks before, I had been on reconnaissance in my new city, socialising with friends, yo-yo-ing between the yoga centres, wandering the watering holes and exploring Bristol’s vast green spaces. I was on cloud 9 — excited about moving there, starting a new job, optimistic and hopeful for my new future after 3 years of nomadic living.

Instead, I found myself without a home, unable to travel. COVID-19 brought my life, and everyone else’s, to a sudden halt. Many of us have lost our jobs or found that we can’t continue working. Even before the outbreak of COVID-19, 9 million of us were already lonely (British Red Cross, 2018). And it wouldn’t be hyperbole to say the physical disconnection is adding fuel to this raging fire of loneliness. Many of us are floundering, with overwhelming feelings of uncertainty and sadness.

Grief expert David Kessler says about the lockdown that “we are grieving the loss of physical connection, the loss of routine, the loss of work, physical touch, gathering for meals”.

After the initial shock was over, I started looking for answers in the only place I could — online. I came across many resources that could support me as I navigated this new world. I found a load of online community events from the wonderful people at Always Possible, Evulva and Tribe Life. The Corona Network brought in a few rays of positivity — so welcome when my internal mindscape was full of various shades of grey. Ironically, I looked outside and it was gorgeously sunny. If only I could be out in it. If only all of us could be out in it together.

But then, in the spirit of getting on with it, I discovered another gem — Communitea by the Loneliness Lab. I soon joined their weekly calls, connected with the community with a customary cup of tea and build up a strong connection with this diverse community. I listened. And I learned. Quite a lot in fact.

Turns out I’m not alone in my newfound loneliness. No surprises there, but it’s still useful to be reminded. As the entire community shared their lockdown stories using the ‘Loneliness Map’, a few key trends emerged.

Loneliness is not constant — like any emotion, it ebbs and flows. And again, no prizes for getting this one right — it exacerbates when we’ve unplugged from our digital connections. Does this mean that we have to stay stuck to our screens to feel connected? The short answer is ‘no’. It’s ok to unplug, stay in your pyjamas, and put yourself on pause. Or go for a walk and strike up a conversation with a stranger, albeit from a safe distance. You never know who you could meet. The other day, for example, I had a lovely chat with an elder lady who was a former athlete for England. I explained how I hated running but forced myself to do it and she shared some tips from her professional career.

Isolation expert and submarine captain Ryan Ramsey says “If you are healthy physically, you will be healthy mentally. I used to exercise with dumbbells in my cabin, which was tiny. Enjoy what’s there”.

Also, it turns out that lockdown has awakened yet another hydra — and she’s called productivity. No sooner do we finish one task, that another rears its head. And this endless pressure to be productive comes with a plethora of stress and tension. Phew! And I thought that I was the only one going through this.

Research from London is Lonely has shown that for many, loneliness is just as much about feeling disconnected from ourselves, as from others.

The key then is to de-stress, recharge and ‘unplug’. Or try being more gentle and patient with ourselves. It’s OK if we haven’t joined every online exercise and meditation class. It’s perfectly fine if we haven’t mastered the art of creative writing, learnt a new skill, or painted a new masterpiece while sitting on a chair that we learnt to make in an online class. It’s all OK. This is a big event. Pause. Take time to get your head around it. There’s no shame in that.

And when you do pause, like me, you’ll find that suddenly it all starts to make some sense. I’m not suggesting that you’ll solve the coronavirus crisis just by taking an afternoon off. But you know what, you might be a little easier on yourself. And others. You might even be able to ask for help if you need it. You’ll be able to lean over your balcony and introduce yourself to a neighbour you’d never spoken to. You’ll find solidarity in clapping for our carers. You might even pick up the phone and call that aunt of yours. The one that manages to reveal embarrassing facts about your childhood at every family do.

You might even be the one reaching out. You might accidentally make a Facebook pub quiz public and raise £100,000 for the NHS like this guy. You might organise Friday check-ins with friends and colleagues, giving each other ideas on what to do during the weekend. You might do interactive exercise classes with the team at Wild Wolf Yoga. You might get involved in research — for example, for In-Touch who are looking at how non-smart screen technologies are changing our communication patterns. At the moment, they’re looking for professionals aged 26–55 who are adjusting to working from home, so now might be a good time to contact them (lili.golmohammadi.18@ucl.ac.uk). And yes, join the next Communitea to see what other insights they uncover. I for one, am definitely going to be there.

Ultimately, we are all transitioning and if ever there was a time to pause and make space for reflection, now is that time. To think what input we want to stream into our lives and what to jettison. There’s an abundance of ways to stay connected, with ourselves and each other. For some, our lives have slowed right down. For some, they have only got busier. Each and every experience is valid. Let’s share them with each other. And we might find that we’re connecting in new ways, despite being at least 2 meters apart.

The Changing Face Of Loneliness In Lockdown was originally published in Loneliness Lab on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

It’s been a tough week. With daily life grinding to a halt and the future uncertain, it’s been uplifting to see so many wonderful acts of neighbourliness and humanity emerge. These initiatives are helping unite us and combat Covid-19 in the best way possible: with kindness.

Keen to do our bit, we’re sharing what the Loneliness Lab community has been up to — easy things that everyone can do, if, like us, you’re moved to offer help to your neighbours.

Of course we don’t have all the answers. So in true Loneliness Lab fashion we’ll be running a series of “virtual sprints” in the next few weeks, to explore how to support each other and tackle loneliness on our doorsteps over the next few months. If you’d like to join the sprint register here.

In the meantime, here are some ideas to get you started.

1. Find out what’s already happening in your neighbourhood, before starting something new

Our Community Manager, Sophie, explains what she’s done: “Feeling motivated to do my bit in my local street, my first thought was to download the brilliant #viralkindness tool. Ready to print it off and hit the street, I double-checked Facebook and saw there was a neighbour already mobilising to make things happen on my street. By finding this out, I was able to avoid doubling up efforts and instead rallied with my neighbour to work better together.”

Where to look for existing activities:

• Covid-19 mutual aid, where over 900 groups are organising themselves. They have range of resources and guides including this leaflet template.
• NHS — ‘Your NHS Needs You’. The nation are looking for volunteer responders to support people with underlying health conditions.
• Nextdoor is the social network for neighbours, now used as much for neighbourhood support as plumber recommendations.
• Facebook — there are a plethora of local groups on here, with many of the COVID-19 care specific groups are on the Covid-19 mutual aid site, as above.
• Friends of the Earth have action groups all across the UK helping neighbours during the coronavirus crisis.
• To go further than your street, investigate if your city or town needs volunteers. Bristol Council have put out a call for volunteers to be mobilised across the city. You can register as an individual, with your business, or community group. Check your local city too!
• Reach out to local charities, e.g. homeless shelters, or youth organisations.

Once you’ve done your research, decide the best fit for your personal capacity and energy. It’s important to manage your own needs, too — if your street has 100 houses, it might be overwhelming to coordinate a WhatsApp group for everyone! It’s totally okay to just leave a note with 2–3 neighbours either side of you with your mobile number, or check in on someone you know is particularly vulnerable. Every little helps.

2. Keep your message positive!

Many people will be feeling quite anxious right now. So if you do start putting notes through your neighbours’ doors, try to lead your messages with a positive hello, rather than reminding people there’s a crisis and fuelling the fear.

We love this Bristol example by Heather in our team — with her housemate, Pete — who reached out to their street with some colourful postcards and an invitation to join a WhatsApp group. Instead of leading with the coronavirus, they focused on tool swapping and a future summer get-together, with a virus reference as a P.S. As well as being positive and practical, this approach also offers hope and something to look forward to when the pandemic is over.

At the Loneliness Lab we have created our own version of the postcard for anyone to use, print off, or copy the text. You can download it here.

Remember: If dropping anything off at a neighbour’s house, do wash your hands — and the item — in advance. Follow advice from the #ViralKindness flyer: “Coronavirus is contagious. Please take every precaution to ensure you are spreading only kindness. Avoid physical contact (2m distance). Wash your hands regularly. Items should be left on your doorstep.”

3. Focus on building community for the long term

As a team we’ve been talking a lot about how we’re going to be living in the next few months. Whilst it’s pretty hard to imagine life in isolation, this is also a chance to think more deeply about building lasting community. A community that will last beyond the next few weeks and grow into the future.

Bethan, the Lab lead, has written a blog about adapting to virtual working, but every aspect of daily life will be different, whether it’s educating children, doing exercise or getting basic supplies.

There are so many fantastic examples of people responding to the crisis in positive ways. Italians who have been living in isolation have been singing with neighbours and running apartment block exercise classes. We loved this thread on Twitter sharing ideas for virtual birthday parties. The good news movement on Instagram is one of our favourites, with posts from heartwarming to hilarious — highly recommended.

Why not organise a movie night, book club, or craft circle to connect with your neighbours or friends when self-isolating? There are virtual choirs, concerts and theatre to watch.

There’s even a Netflix plug-in where you can watch the same episode in sync!

And for any millennials and generation Z that may be feeling overwhelmed, anxious or lonely, our friend Katie is hosting a daily virtual guided meditation.

4. Support local shops and businesses

Through the Loneliness Lab, we’ve learned that one of the most important aspects of tackling loneliness is good community infrastructure - places and spaces where people can go to connect with other people and feel they belong. Local shops, exercise studios and community spaces are really important. With the country practicing social distancing, small businesses and community spaces are under huge financial pressure.

So let’s work hard to keep our community spaces going! If you can, support local independent shops and community providers over the next few months. Food businesses are allowed to stay open and rules have been relaxed so they can become takeaways. Local greengrocers can often deliver, and we love this example of MoveGB who are supporting their exercise providers to run virtual classes and have launched a support fund for them. As a team, we’re looking forward to taking a collective yoga class ‘live & online’ via zoom.

Find out via local Facebook or Next Door groups which local shops and food outlets are offering to do takeaway and deliveries. #ISUPPORTBIRMINGHAM is a great example of how people in the city are sharing information about local traders staying open.

If you’re a food outlet or shop, consider offering to pack up groceries for people in isolation for their neighbours or friends to collect. Taking payments over the phone from the person in isolation can help minimise the spread of disease and remove any worries neighbours may have about being responsible for each other’s cash.

Other examples of shopping locally online:

• Farmdrop (London)
• Good Sixty (Bristol and Bath)
• Where to buy local in Bristol — a spreadsheet set up by Steph Wetherell
• Deliveroo — still operating with no-contact deliveries, and a fund to support their workers
• Help your hood — a new platform for businesses to register gift card information, so you can search and buy vouchers for your favourites and help their cash flow at this difficult time.

Over the next few weeks we’ll be running a virtual sprint to see how we can support local high streets and community spaces. Sign up to get involved.

— —

Thanks for being amazing. The very best of humanity is on show right now and we are loving it.

We’ll leave you with this heartwarming video of health workers in Spain thanking residents for clapping them every night as they go home from work.

With kindness,

The Loneliness Lab team and friends

@bethanjharris @SPeters100 @heatherknight08, @NaomiGrace_L @esstee

Combatting neighbourhood loneliness during coronavirus — 4 things you can do was originally published in Loneliness Lab on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.