Long before loneliness became a public health concern, the television show “Cheers” reminded us of something timeless. At its heart, it was never really about a neighborhood bar. It was about having a place where people recognized you, welcomed you and noticed when you were gone. Every generation is looking for a place like that.
For someone in their 20s, it may be a weekly board game group, pickleball league or climbing gym. For young professionals, it may be the neighborhood coffee shop where the barista already knows their order. Families often find it at the library, recreation center or youth sports field. For older adults, it may be a senior center, faith community or walking club. The place changes throughout our lives. The need to belong does not.
This is why I was delighted when my dear friend and fellow social entrepreneur, Marc Lane, reached out about collaborating on this topic for his new Substack: “Capital & Conscience.” What he did not know was that the intersection of community, belonging and human connection has been sitting on my idea board for more than a year. It felt like the perfect opportunity to combine our perspectives on an issue that couldn’t be more timely.
As you have likely seen in the headlines, the need has taken on new urgency. Loneliness and social isolation have quietly become one of the most significant public health challenges of our time. Research links chronic isolation to heart disease, stroke, dementia, depression and premature death. The U.S. Surgeon General has compared its health effects to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. This is not simply a personal issue. It affects workforce participation, civic engagement, neighborhood resilience and the strength of our communities.
Technology has made our lives more convenient in remarkable ways. We can work remotely, shop online, stream entertainment and stay in touch with family across the globe. Yet many of the small interactions that once happened naturally — chatting with neighbors, talking with a cashier or lingering after a meeting — have quietly disappeared. Technology is not the problem, but it is not a substitute for genuine human connection.
Perhaps we’ve been asking the wrong question. Instead of asking only why people are lonely, perhaps we should also ask: have we unintentionally designed communities that make belonging more difficult? And, as social entrepreneurs, what can we do about it?
The Rise of the “Third Place”
Over the past century, many neighborhoods have been designed around efficiency, privacy and automobiles. We move from our garage to the office, from the office to the grocery store and back home with few opportunities for spontaneous conversation. Apartment buildings often feature long hallways but few inviting common spaces. Even schools, workplaces and nonprofit programs can become so focused on schedules that they leave little room for relationships to develop.
That idea is reflected in the concept of the “third place,” introduced by sociologist Ray Oldenburg in his 1989 book, “The Great Good Place.” Oldenburg argued that healthy communities depend on three essential places: home, work or school and a third place where people gather voluntarily, build friendships and develop trust.
Although Oldenburg gave the concept its name, the practice is centuries old. Across Europe, public squares, neighborhood cafés, markets and pedestrian streets have long been designed to encourage people to linger and connect. Howard Schultz often spoke about observing this culture in Italy before helping shape Starbucks into a “third place” between home and work. The lesson is simple: connection flourishes when communities intentionally create places for it.
Social Infrastructure Matters
In research Social Impact Architects conducted for The Jones Center in Springdale, Arkansas, they found that these spaces are more than amenities. The Jones Center is part of a community’s social infrastructure. Libraries, parks, recreation centers, trails, arts organizations, coffee shops, farmers markets and senior centers do more than host activities. They create opportunities for trust, friendship and belonging to grow. The Jones Center has now fully embraced this mission: “We fuel community connections, cultivating spaces and experiences where everyone can learn, play and thrive together.”
Communities around the world are beginning to recognize this. The United Kingdom created a Minister for Loneliness and invested in community connection strategies. Japan launched similar efforts to address social isolation. Programs such as Australia’s Men’s Sheds and social connection initiatives in American libraries and parks demonstrate that even modest investments in gathering places can have a meaningful impact.
Designing Communities for Connection
The opportunity extends well beyond parks and community centers. As noted previously in this blog, how we teach matters. We now use “walk and talks,” collaborative learning and collaborative service projects to build stronger relationships. But it also impacts how we design housing. Could we do more to design shared courtyards, front porches and inviting public spaces that encourage neighbors to know one another? It even impacts our everyday work at nonprofits. Every program could be designed not only to deliver a service, but also to create new relationships among participants, volunteers and families.
A Shared Responsibility
This is where nonprofits, government, businesses, developers, architects, educators and healthcare organizations have a shared opportunity. None can solve loneliness alone. Together, however, they shape nearly every place where connection either flourishes or fades.
What if every community investment included one additional question: how will this help people connect? What if housing developments were evaluated not only by density, but by opportunities for neighbors to gather? What if libraries were viewed as community living rooms? What if nonprofit facilities were designed to encourage conversation, before and after programs? What if we measured success not only by attendance, but also by the relationships that were formed?
Building for Belonging
As we look ahead, perhaps the next frontier in community development is not simply building more buildings or creating more programs. It is intentionally designing for belonging. That, in itself, is a form of system change. We have spent generations investing in physical infrastructure. The future may depend just as much on investing in social infrastructure — the places, experiences and traditions that help people know one another, trust one another and work together.
Loneliness is a serious public health challenge, but it is also an invitation. It invites us to rethink how we design communities and how we work together across sectors. The healthiest communities will not simply be those with the newest buildings or the biggest budgets. They will be the ones that intentionally create places where people feel welcome, build lasting relationships and discover that they truly belong.
How is your organization creating opportunities for people to connect, not just access services? We’d love to hear what’s working in your community.
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