Institute of Housing Research

Together against loneliness – planning ahead

Commissioned by the City of Graz’s Social Welfare Department and carried out in cooperation with the housing company Bauen & Wohnen Steiermark (BWSt.), this project promoted neighbourhood relationships from July to December 2020. Two high-density residential neighbourhoods in Graz were selected. At two neighbourhood meetings in each area, residents had opportunities to get to know each other and jointly consider small improvements, such as better seating or planting. These measures were intended to enable regular contact among neighbours. The cooperation partner provided the funding, while residents were responsible for advancing the implementation of the improvements after the project ended.