While we often think of addressing loneliness through individual based approaches, it turns out that community-wide initiatives could be significantly more effective.
A recent report from the University of Technology Sydney Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion (UTS CSJI) tested the inner city Sydney areas of Ultimo, Pyrmont, Glebe and Haymarket to find out what works and what doesn’t.
The report, Where we belong: Creating inclusive and accessible communities, found that inner city Sydney areas would benefit from increased shared spaces, affordable public activities and neighbourhood-based initiatives to combat individual loneliness.
It launched a literature review into instances of loneliness and social isolation after these issues were to be a common thread in a 2025 community and engagement report.
The report found that individual based initiatives were not as successful as community-wide initiatives when helping someone overcome loneliness and social isolation.
Yet, one of the biggest challenges of community-based initiatives is the lack of community spaces and the lack of community accessibility, according to the group.
The group advocated for increased investment in free and low-cost community spaces and events. These could be anything from a community centre with intergenerational activities to outdoor parks, community gardens, or even local cafés.
Professor Xiaoqi Feng of the University of New South Wales, who works on lonelygenics and will speak at The Fifth Estate’s forthcoming leaders forum on social value on Tuesday, 6 May, advocates for low cost intervention to help these challenges by simple methods such as extending opening times of social facilities.
Often, pools and libraries, for instance, close early and thereby remove possibilities for people constrained by working hours, she says.
The UTS report emphasised that initiatives needed to be accessible to marginalised groups with a focus on low cost and physical building accessibility.
The accessibility of these programs extends beyond the building itself, and the review stressed the importance of accessible landscape, including accessible transportation, walking spaces and physical safety within the community.
According to the group, physical infrastructure is essential for fostering social connection, but how spaces are used and shared is just as important.
The push for more community spaces and community-based events wasn’t just a conversation-based solution that came up within the literature review. A series of successful case studies supported the group’s claim as well.
Neighbourhood houses, community gardens and intergenerational programs were among the top successes in fostering social connection.
To advertise the events, the review found that the communities in Sydney value technology but also emphasised the need for paper flyers to reach older members in the community and those without internet access.
Within the literature review and overall study, UTS Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion advocated for improved public transport and walkability, prioritising social infrastructure such as parks, community centres and local cafés, and prioritising funding to promote safe and liveable housing. The solutions go beyond combatting loneliness and promote inclusivity and stronger community connections.
- With Tina Perinotto