Cities for Belonging

In our rapidly evolving cities, where skyscrapers rise but connections implode, the longing to belong is more urgent than ever.

Cities under stress

Today’s cities pulse with energy, but also with tension. From climate extremes and deepening inequalities to economic and political shocks, urban life feels relentlessly complex. Amid these challenges, the search for belonging—feeling truly at home—becomes more urgent than ever.

The challenge of urban belonging

These external pressures do more than disrupt daily life: they erode our core need to belong. In cities built for speed and efficiency, many feel disconnected, isolated in crowds, and excluded from opportunities.

Why belonging matters

Urban belonging is more than a social extra: it’s fundamental for sustainable city life. A sense of connection contributes to better health, happier communities, and robust civic life. By contrast, the World Health Organization (WHO) now recognizes urban loneliness as a critical health threat, especially in dense, anonymous, and gentrified settings. "Belonging” reflects both our social and spatial need to feel at home, underscoring the importance of shared identity and meaningful connections rooted in meaningful places.

Socialtecture: A framework for urban belonging

Socialtecture is our design approach that fuses architecture with social life. By centering on belonging, it transforms buildings and public spaces from inert objects into vibrant organizers of daily life. After over a decade working in city development, we found a simple truth: everyone, from clients to citizens, craves a livable city. The question is no longer why or what, but HOW we get there.

To meet this challenge, we founded the School of Socialtecture—an educational platform that guides city makers toward change through nine universal “Principles of Life.” These distilled teachings about human existence and social interaction offer a compass for city planning, architecture, and real estate, placing life at the heart of every decision and translating good intentions into meaningful action. Today, the school fosters cross-European exchange, equipping professionals with practical tools for building urban belonging.

Belonging by design: Examples from the Socialtecture perspective

1. Schools as third places

As cities densify and traditional gathering spots such as churches decline, our third places—the everyday spaces that foster connection—are disappearing. How can we create more of these essential community anchors? In Copenhagen, we saw how school campuses, instead of serving only students, opened their doors to the entire neighborhood.

Partnering with a Danish school design think tank, we explored Principle #3: Organism, and asked, “What if schools are designed not just as objects, but as social organisms?” Guided by Socialtecture, participants envisioned innovative ways to transform schools into neighborhood hubs: open rooftops, public playgrounds, and sports halls paired with inclusive programming. Each solution strengthens social routines and lays the groundwork for belonging.

2. Housing for encounters

As cities densify and single apartments increase, social isolation grows, fueling what the WHO calls a “loneliness pandemic.” The key urban design question is no longer just, “How do we house millions?” but rather, “How do we foster connection?”

Social architecture shapes belonging. Too often, new buildings prioritize profit over people, leading to isolation by design. In a recent Socialtecture workshop, we applied Principle #6: Flow of Life, to rethink housing layouts that spark everyday encounters. Simple shifts make a difference. Mobility hubs encourage walking through the neighborhood, creating moments for greeting others. Attractive staircases replace elevators as spaces for spontaneous exchange. Open access galleries soften the boundary between public and private realms. Shared gardens and communal lounges invite casual meetings and mutual support. When architecture invites encounters, housing becomes more than shelter—it becomes the foundation for trust, empathy, and a vibrant sense of belonging.

3. Communal housing in vacant office buildings

Cities urgently need more housing, but simply building anew isn’t always feasible because rising costs, gentrification, and social fragmentation block the way. In Hamburg, we accompanied a pilot project of the vonwegenleer architecture collective. Their process asked, “What if vacant inner-city office buildings could become interim homes?” According to the Socialtecture Principle #7: Evolution, the project converted office space into temporary housing with minimal intervention and collective effort. This collaborative transformation not only provided shelter, but also sparked a new neighborhood spirit: living, adapting, and building belonging, right in the heart of the city.

Conclusion: The city as a platform for belonging

Socialtecture challenges all city makers—architects, planners, and citizens—to shape not just spaces, but relationships, meaning, and community.

Viewing cities through a lens of life, we can turn spaces of isolation into platforms for connection, emancipation, and hope, as seen in every school reopened and every office block reborn as a home. The future city, as Socialtecture envisions, is a place where everyone has not just a roof, but a reason—and a right—to belong.

Main image: A new place to belong: community living in a vacant office building, Hamburg, 2025, vonwegenleer Architekturkollektiv. Photo © Arman Jeddi