Isolated in the City: How Architecture Mitigates Urban Loneliness

In big cities like Tokyo or Toronto, social isolation and loneliness are common occurrences among residents. Social isolation can be caused by architectural factors such as detached living spaces and lack of communal spaces such as parks or green areas in big cities. The increasing number of single-person households and the growth of urban societies further exacerbate urban loneliness.

While exploring Tokyo’s megalopolis, this lecture will examine how societal atomization impacts Japanese architecture and the urban landscape. On one hand, the speaker will guide us through her investigation of new commercial solutions for individuals; on the other, we will explore living arrangements designed for single people that encourage daily interactions. At a time when the risks of social isolation and exclusion are growing in global cities, we will seek to understand how architecture can help mitigate these issues.

The speaker, who is a former recipient of the Japan Foundation postdoctoral fellowship, will also share her experiences in Japan alongside the primary lecture topic.

Speaker

Dr. Alice Covatta works across architecture and anthropology. She is a professor of architecture at the Faculty of Environmental Design at the University of Montreal. In 2016, she obtained the Japan Foundation postdoctoral fellowship and worked as a researcher at Keio University in Tokyo until 2019. Her practice follows the spatial implications of society’s atomization in contemporary architecture, public space, and the city, as well as in practiced and lived space.