Building a Social Community

Abstract

Loneliness is social pain. It occurs as a defence mechanism if a person does not
have enough social contact. This pain prevents people from being isolated which
in historical times would be fatal as people are stronger and safer in groups. Among elderly loneliness is more severe then in other age groups. This is due to
the loss of good friends and loved ones. Next to this elderly are less active in public places as they are housed in more closed off complexes where every facility is present so that they wont have to leave the complex. This means they are not likely to meet new people outside of their building or wing.
But loneliness is a pain that also leads to retraction and people isolating themselves from public life. It then becomes a vicious cycle where people can become increasingly lonely. It can only be contested by the individual that suffers from it. Loneliness can thus not be solved by architecture but it can be prevented by it.
But how to prevent loneliness with architecture? By addressing relations which
have the most impact on people their social life their social health can be restored. According to multiple sociologists weak ties such as colleagues and neighbours are of most important as they replace lost strong ties such as loved ones and friends. But social interactions with weak ties should happen naturally and not forced upon or organised. Organised social activities are a major threshold for people with social anxiety which excludes them from such activites.

The main question for this research is therefore as follows:
How can the build environment promote spontaneous social interaction to prevent loneliness among elderly?

The main conclusion of this research is that people need to leave their private domain and enter the public realm as this is where spontaneous interactions take place. To get elderly out of their private domain the environment should invite to do so. This means to create attractive environments with opportunities to engage in social activities as well as to live independent, to fulfil potential and to be seen by others.
Activity attracts activity so by activating public spaces elderly are more tempted to go outside. But as elderly are less active then other groups it is good to mix them with youth, students, and families, which also increases their visibility to the rest of the community they live in. But while they should live mixed between other types of demographic groups they still want to seek support among each other but in small manageable groups of approximately five elderly. Elderly should therefore be housed in small groups with a communal garden or space to meet and control.
Next to organising dwellings the public realm should also be organised so that it stimulates spontaneous social interaction. By creating third spaces, green spaces and transitional spaces this can be accomplished. This is because people transfer to or past these locations which creates opportunities to meet others on the way over and/or at the location itself. These spaces can be locations such as a restaurant, park and library and they should be visible from inside the dwellings as activity attracts activity.
But these location should also have certain qualities such as that they have to be comfortable, safe, visually stimulating and controllable. This latter describes the hierarchy and depiction of private and public spaces. As being social also means to have control over the amount of social interaction one has, and thus also being able to retreat in privacy. The difference between private and public should therefore be clearly marked so that it is recognisable for others. These interventions or design guidelines should all be implemented close to the housing as elderly do not have a broad range where they can go.