It’s easy to feel lonely and crowded at the same time in the type of towers going up across Edmonton’s most-populated neighbourhoods.
Meeting a neighbour in a cramped elevator is uncomfortable, socially awkward and, once inside a condo unit, only pigeons walk by the window.
But it doesn’t have to be that way, says a group of researchers who studied neuroscience, sociology, environmental psychology, architecture and public health to create
a new set of design guidelines for high-density living.
“It’s up to us to build cities that bring us together or push us apart,” said Paty Rios, who led the design effort for the Vancouver-based consulting firm
Happy City. The guidelines were released in June and are already starting to influence Edmonton planners.
Building design can reduce social isolation by creating frequent, natural interaction between a small group of residents. According to Happy City researchers, shared activities in a common courtyard, such as gardens, bike repair and a dog run can facilitate this. MARIANNE AMODIO ARCHITECTURE / TOMO SPACES
Rios’ Toolkit is a set of rules that let people evaluate new designs for buildings and shared public spaces — involving everything from good sound insulation, to the way entrances are designed and neighbours interact.
“We want to bring people together, but not all the people together … It’s about creating clusters, sub-clusters,” said Rios, describing ways to make casual interaction comfortable and frequent.
“When we feel our personal space isn’t being invaded, we can communicate in a much more positive way,” said Rios, describing the brief hello that gradually becomes a “How is your daughter?” that evolves into a meaningful relationship.