We talked about loneliness more than ever this year—but why does it still feel so widespread? This issue explores how our environments quietly shape connection, why individual effort isn't enough, and what small changes in the places around us can make belonging more possible.

Festivals and pop-up gathering spaces do more than celebrate a season—they remind us how places shape connection. From markets and plazas to parklets and laneways, discover why temporary spaces create lasting belonging and what cities can learn from them year-round.