We live closer than ever – yet loneliness is rising across the globe.
With the launch of the book The Paradox of Proximity: Preventing Urban Loneliness, BLOXHUB and Cities for Better Health invite you for an afternoon dedicated to viewing loneliness through an urban development lens. Loneliness is often framed as an individual condition. But what if it is also shaped by how we design housing, structure neighbourhoods, activate public space and govern our cities? This is where emotional urbanism comes in: recognising that cities do not only organise movement, density and infrastructure, they also shape how we feel, connect and belong.
If loneliness is influenced by urban systems, it is also something cities can actively address.
About the book
The Paradox of Proximity: Preventing Urban Loneliness explores one of the dilemmas of contemporary city life: how can we live closer than ever – yet feel increasingly alone? Drawing on interviews with experts from cities including Seoul, Tokyo, Vancouver, Toronto, Copenhagen, Turku and Paris, the book reframes loneliness as a spatial and systemic challenge also shaped by the built environment. Rather than treating loneliness solely as an individual health issue, the publication positions urban design as a proactive tool for building social infrastructure.
Programme
15.00
Welcome
/ BLOXHUB & Cities for Better Health
15.15
Introduction to the book The Paradox of Proximity: Preventing Urban Loneliness
/ Ann-Britt Elvin Andersen, Chief Communications Officer, BLOXHUB
15.30
Keynote: Cities Don’t Create Loneliness – They Concentrate It
/ Pete Bombaci, Founder, The GenWell Project (Canada)
15.45
Panel discussion: From Proximity to Belonging – Designing Against Urban Loneliness
Moderator: Jakob Norman-Hansen, DIrector, Global Networks and Partnerships
16.30
Networking, nibbles and drinks
