Healthy Places by Design: Advancing social connection and community wellbeing
Healthy Places by Design is a nonprofit consulting organization dedicated to advancing community-led action and implementing proven, place-based strategies to improve health and wellbeing for all. By focusing on the built environment and social factors that influence community health, they help create spaces and opportunities for people to connect, thrive, and lead healthier lives. Libraries and other community organizations can participate in their Socially Connected Communities Network and utilize their valuable resources and guidance to foster social connection, address social isolation, and implement sustainable community wellbeing strategies. See below for details on those opportunities, including an upcoming webinar on Cultivating Community Hubs for Social Connection that will explore the important role that community hubs—such as libraries—play in reducing social isolation and fostering a sense of belonging. A strength of Healthy Places by Design’s approach and services is tailoring strategies to align with unique community context – so contact them to discuss ways to partner!
Key resources from Healthy Places by Design
Below is a starter list of essential resources that you can use in your work.
Socially Connected Communities
- Essential Resources for Socially Connected Communities: Includes resource guides, webinar recordings and slides, reports, blogs, and more.
- Socially Connected Communities: Solutions for Social Isolation: A comprehensive report and companion resources that offer actionable solutions to combat social isolation in communities.
- Report summary (pdf)
- Full report (pdf)
- Action Guide for Local Government and Community Leaders (pdf)
- See also Noah Lenstra’s WebJunction article about the report, highlighting how libraries are doing this work.
- Short video overview (3 min) of the report
- Action Guide for Building Socially Connected Communities: A collaborative effort between Healthy Places by Design, the Foundation for Social Connection and Harvard University's Human Flourishing Program, with support from Einhorn Collaborative, this interactive toolkit helps local leaders and changemakers create and implement tailored social connection strategies for fostering social connection.
- Three Ways Public Libraries Support Socially Connected Communities, a blog by Noah Lenstra, 2022
Socially Connected Communities Network
Healthy Places by Design supports a Socially Connected Communities Network that provides a menu of options for community practitioners to explore ideas and strategies that reduce social isolation and increase community connectedness. The Network has four components designed for a variety of learning styles and to address a continuum of community-led change: bi-monthly webinars and focused discussion group sessions, resource guides, and peer connection sessions. Scroll to the middle of the webpage and click on the icons to learn more about the Network.
Upcoming webinar: Cultivating Community Hubs for Social Connection
Healthy Places by Design is hosting an exciting webinar that will be of particular interest to libraries and other community organizations. On March 25 from 3:00 - 4:00 pm ET, Cultivating Community Hubs for Social Connection will explore the important role that community hubs—such as libraries—play in reducing social isolation and fostering a sense of belonging.
Community hubs are places where people of all backgrounds can gather to socialize, learn and work together, and develop trusting relationships. Community hubs can make it easier to feel a sense of belonging. Often, people think about community centers, parks, and schools as community hubs, and they certainly are. Many other community spaces and organizations can also serve that role—even those initiated for other reasons, like libraries and YMCAs. In this session, you’ll hear how the Wilmington (DE) Institute Free Library and the Greensboro (NC) YMCA expanded their missions and purposefully expanded beyond the walls of their buildings to create intergenerational and cross-neighborhood connection opportunities that reduce social isolation and increase a sense of wellbeing. Their experiences can inspire other organizations to serve as community hubs, as well.
After the webinar, participants can join a post-webinar discussion group from 4:00 - 5:00 pm ET to reflect on the key insights and discuss how they can apply these strategies in their own communities.
This is an excellent opportunity for libraries to learn from real-world examples and gain practical ideas for becoming more connected community hubs. This webinar will inspire and equip libraries and community organizations to rethink how they can serve as community hubs that reduce isolation and strengthen the social fabric of their neighborhoods. By attending, you'll discover new ways to engage your community, promote social connection, and contribute to overall community health and wellbeing.
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from leaders in the field and connect with peers who share your passion for building stronger, more connected communities.