Intro to Shared Space, The Podcast!

06/07/20 • 1 min

COVID-19, the resulting stay at home orders, social distancing, and ultimately the social isolation that we've had to go through has been tough for our mental health as nation and as a globe, and that's one of the main reasons I wanted to start a podcast that talks about not only loneliness and social isolation, but also the role of the built environment.

I know you might be saying right now. “What does architecture have to do with our health, with our loneliness, or with how connected we are to our communities?” I'm here to tell you a lot more than we think! It is definitely not the only factor, but it is an important and often overlooked structure of our lives and our communities that helps to inform how well we will be able to interact with one another. Our physical environments (e.g., cities, streets, homes) are a critical component of social determinants of health.

And there's been a lot of research that digs into how different aspects of the built environment serve as social determinants, how they help to shape aspects of loneliness, social connection and ultimately our overall health -- so that's really what we're going to be talking about on this podcast.

We all understand the deleterious effects of loneliness and social isolation, and this podcast will lean into those, while also exploring how physical spaces can make us feel more connected and less lonely. We will share research-informed guidelines on how to use space to foster connection, social health and well-being. And we will be sharing examples of spaces and strategies that work!

I am so excited and honored that you are spending time here with us and I hope you find it enjoyable and interesting. If so, I would love if you can subscribe, rate and review us! Check out more resources and articles on my website erinpeavey.com. Thanks for joining me on this journey!

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Loneliness and Our Health

Have you ever felt lonely, and looked at how your it felt inside your body? Perhaps you felt stress, anxiety or like a foundational part of being alive was missing? That feeling, like hunger or thirst evolved to signal a threat to our survival.

As humans, we evolved in community. People gathered in small tribes to support one another, to provide protection, warmth, food, and care for children. Given our nature, being completely autonomous and independent is a threat to survival. Our basic need to be interdependent remains even though the backdrop of humanity has transformed over centuries.

A 2020 Cigna survey showed that more than three in five working American adults are lonely, and rising numbers report feeling left out, is understood or as though they lack companionship 1. These findings contribute to the sense that we are facing a “loneliness epidemic,” as described by former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. Loneliness and social isolation have been linked to sleep loss, ill health, dementia, premature death, and even heartbreak—literally 2. These effects on our health are as harmful to our life expectancy as a 15-cigarette-a-day smoking habit 3.

REFERENCES (1. Cigna, 2020; (2. Cacioppo & Cacioppo, 2018; Holt-Lunstad, 2017; Holt-Lunstad, Smith, & Layton, 2010 (3. Holt-Lunstad et al., 2010.

LINK TO FULL REPORT: https://www.hksinc.com/how-we-think/research/connecting-irl-how-the-built-environment-can-foster-social-health/