Shared Space

Do you ever wonder how can we socially connect and still be safe? What is the role of the design of the physical spaces around us? What strategies could work for both you, and perhaps your loved ones living in senior housing? In Episode 9 of the Shared Space podcast, I sit down with Patricia Gruits of MASS Design Group to explore synergies between designing for COVID-19 and designing for social co...

This week's podcast we dig into one of the six attributes that help to create environments of connection, Human Scale. I interview Thom Grieving, Principal of HKS, about his team's work around a very special project that helps to exemplify what design with human scale for connection looks like at University of California at San Diego , Theater District Living and Learning Neighborhood. For this pr...

In this episode, Maya and I explore how architecture can help create community and foster inclusion – how often it’s purposefully designed to exclude and how we can change that. Maya’s journey to create Chicago Mobile Makers started off with two questions - 1. How can we diversity the design profession? 2. How can we improve disinvested communities? And, can those two things happen simultaneously?...

On this episode we discuss the importance of designing accessible and inclusive places of connection. When we use universal design principles that honor the human experience, we are creating more inclusive, equitable and welcoming places for all people. I share an example from my own practice working with clients to create spaces that are accessible for the people they serve, like the new clinic a...

I speak with acclaimed author, researcher, TEDx speaker, and professor of environmental psychology, Dr. Colin Ellard. Part 2: On the second half of our two-part episode, Dr. Colin Ellard and I explore research around what small tweaks can shape how we evaluate and want to connect with others, difference between what people think will make them happy and what they want, vs. what actually makes us h...

I speak with acclaimed author, researcher, TEDx speaker, and professor of environmental psychology, Dr. Colin Ellard. Part 1: On this first part of our two-part episode, Colin and I explore how he discovered his passion for this field, how COVID-19 is shaping his current research and how we are all connecting, and lastly we discuss what evolutionary psychology can teach us about ideal group sizes...

The prehistoric Stonehenge monument and other archaeological sites offer ample evidence of human  civilization’s enduring need for communal gathering spaces, those places where people  can come  together for celebration, ritual, and the mundane (1). These places are what sociologist Ray Oldenburg  coined third places (2)—places unlike the private, informal home and the public,...

Many people see health as the responsibility of clinicians, nutritionists, and other health care professionals. Yet it has become clear that although vitally important, clinical care makes up just 10% to 20% of overall health (1). The physical  environment is an important factor underlying our health ecosystem, influencing how we think, feel, and behave (2). The United Nations (3)  and t...

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 childre...

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. “Wha...