Planning for Connected Cities: Exploring the Relationship Between Social Connectedness and Urban Form

Social connectedness is important for our well-being and the resiliency of our communities as a whole. Yet recent reports indicate growing concerns of loneliness and social isolation. The design of urban form, including characteristics such as street connectivity, transit access, and walkability, is one way that cities can impact social connectedness at a large scale.

In this Ignite presentation, I will briefly share how my surrounding environments have shaped my levels of social connectedness at the three different addresses I’ve lived (Walk Scores ranging from 8-73), and present my research plans to use a novel web mapping application (VERITAS) to evaluate the impact of urban form interventions on social connectedness in four Canadian cities (Victoria BC, Vancouver, BC, Saskatoon SK, and Montréal QC) as part of the CIHR-funded Interventions, Research and Action Cities Team (INTERACT) study.

Hosford K, Winters M. Planning for Connected Cities: Exploring the Relationship between Social Connectedness and Urban Form. Ignite presentation at: Cascadia Annual Symposium on Environmental, Occupational, and Public Health; January, 2019; Blaine, WA. (Best Ignite presentation)

Transcript

1. Planning for Connected Cities Exploring the Relationship Between Social Connectedness and Urban Form Kate Hosford, MSc Faculty of Health Sciences Simon Fraser University
4. Vancouver Richmond
7. Vancouver Foundation, 2017
9. Image: Sidewalk Labs
10. Image: Sidewalk Labs
11. Image: Sidewalk Labs
12. Image: Sidewalk Labs
14. FOUR STUDIES. FOUR CITIES. 1 3 4 2 Arbutus Greenway Vancouver, BC All ages and abilities (AAA) Cycling Network Victoria, BC Bus Rapid Transit Saskatoon, SK Community Sustainability Plan Montreal, QC
15. FOUR STUDIES. FOUR CITIES. 1 3 4 2 Arbutus Greenway Vancouver, BC All ages and abilities (AAA) Cycling Network Victoria, BC Bus Rapid Transit Saskatoon, SK Community Sustainability Plan Montreal, QC
16. INTERACT COHORTS 300-3000 participants per site 3 main data collection time points Cohort baseline First follow-up Second follow-up Continuous implementation of urban form interventions
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20. LET’S REIMAGINE OUR CITIES TO BE HEALTHIER PLACES FOR EVERYONE. #LETSINTERACT WWW.TEAMINTERACT.CA Kate Hosford, MSc Faculty of Health Sciences, SFU khosford@sfu.ca