Hey Neighbour! Evaluation and Understanding Social Connections and Engagement

The Hey Neighbour! pilot program evaluation intends to draw conclusions about the potential of social policy interventions into urban neighbourhoods. First, we will review the multidisciplinary research trends and approaches related to the question of improving social quality in urban neighbourhoods and communities. This will include review of the terminology, definitions of related terminology, overlapping usages across disciplines, co-citations, and different methodological approaches in the past generation, in the scholarly literature. Secondly, we will engage in a formative evaluation of the Hey Neighbour! pilot, an initiative created by the Social Connections Table around which both the Vancouver Foundation and City of Vancouver sit. This pilot establishes a new role of resident animator in two participating multi-unit residential buildings, with the objective of increasing social cohesion and sense of community. Intended outcomes of this work will include a report and scholarly manuscript based upon the bibliometric analysis of social connections research, and pilot program reports for the intended audiences of local decision-makers, property management companies, and other Hey Neighbour! project stakeholders about this pilot initiative.

Faculty Supervisor:

Meg Holden

Student:

Rahil Adeli

Partner:

Vancouver Foundation

Discipline:

Urban studies

Sector:

Medical devices

University:

Program: