Highlights include yoga, drawing exercises, drinks and bites, and a chance to win a bestselling, must-read book by Amelia Nagoski and Emily Nagoski - "Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle."

For decades, the healthy communities field has demonstrated that where we are live, learn, work, play, and age impacts our health. It’s clearer than ever that the way our communities are designed, maintained, and activated deeply impacts our quality of life.

Each June, alongside our partners at the Global Initiative on Loneliness and Connection (GILC) and Marmalade Trust, the Coalition activates local communities, policymakers, and innovators for Global Loneliness Awareness Week. Together, we share resources, identify areas of collaboration, and educate the public on the importance of connection. This year, we are excited to convene once again on June 11th in Washington, D.C. Stay tuned for more information – including our agenda and speakers!

On the TEDx stage, Erin shares research at HKS, Inc. on how design of public spaces has the power to combat loneliness is so important to the health of our communities.

To those in the design community, the small strokes you make when designing parks, architecture, or even simple sidewalks can heal us or hurt us.

In a time of hyper connection and communication, many of us report feeling lonely and detached, and there is strong evidence that this has a toxic effect on our health and happiness. Peavey will share an evidence-based framework to design for social connection, examine scalable strategies — some unexpected — that lead to social environments that promote meaningful connections. Huge opportunities await architects who can leverage this knowledge to build a future marked by connections that boost our collective health.

I was honored to be in conversation with Jennifer Roberts, PhD and Resa Lewiss, MD on her podcast, Visible Voices talking about the role of the built environment on health.

Partnering with Social Health Lab’s founder, Kasley Killam, MPH from Harvard University, to discuss Designing for Urban Connection as a part of the World Happiness Week events, hosted by Togetherness Hub!

The pandemic has created a new normal of remote living: forcing many of us to move from in-person interactions to online and virtual experiences, heightening feelings of loneliness, disengagement and disproportionately affecting vulnerable and marginalized communities.

Join this event on utilizing health, hospitality and design to reframe human connection, share our humanity, promote inclusion.

Loneliness can affect anyone at any point in life and is a topic that employers should address proactively as it can have a negative effect on workplace productivity and a person’s health. The workplace can serve as the foundation for improving vitality and reducing feelings of loneliness and starts by creating a culture of inclusion. But how do you do this in a time of social distancing? Managers and leaders of organizations can lead the way by building connections with their employees and setting a cultural tone of relationship-building and inclusiveness both in the office and virtually. Join us to learn what steps you can take to combat loneliness in your workplace and improve your employees’ health, well-being and productivity. Erin Peavey of HKS Architects will discuss how the built environment is an essential tool in creating a world that is more connected, comforting, and well. By working together with the communities we serve, we can co-create places that foster health.