[Webinar] ‘Housing That Connects Us’ series: How three municipalities are designing for social wellbeing

Hey Neighbour Collective and United Way BC’s Seniors Housing Working Group are excited to be co-hosting a three-part webinar series on building social connection in housing.

The third webinar in the series, How three municipalities are designing for social wellbeing, will be held on June 24^th, from 9:30 am – 11 am Pacific. 

Loneliness and social isolation are among the most pressing public health challenges of our time, and the buildings we live in play an important role. The design of multi-unit housing can help foster everyday connection between neighbours.

Join Hey Neighbour Collective, Happy Cities, and three Metro Vancouver municipalities for a conversation about how local governments are putting social wellbeing at the centre of housing policy. We’ll share an overview of the Housing that Connects Us research and toolbox, then hear from planners in Burnaby, New Westminster, and Port Moody about how they’re translating evidence into practice — through post-occupancy studies, development permit area guidelines, and incentive-based design guidelines. 

The session will close with an extended Q&A, offering planners and housing practitioners a chance to dig into the practical realities of making the case for this work, navigating municipal processes, and applying social wellbeing principles to their own contexts.

Speakers

Moderator: Michelle Hoar

• Madeleine Hebert (Director, Happy Cities)
• Sheree Emmanuel (Urban Planner, Happy Cities)
• Shareen Chin (Social Planner, City of Port Moody)
• Melissa Pais (Planning Assistant III, City of Burnaby)
• Alana Wittman (Senior Land Use Planner, City of New Westminster)