- linkedin.com/in/tijmenkuyper/
Tijmen Kuyper
TU Delft, Architecture and the Built Environment, Department Member
Loneliness is a rising problem. Currently, 10% of the adults in the Netherlands are (severely) lonely. Cohousing is increasingly pointed at as part of the solution. There is no prior statistical research on the relationship between... more
Loneliness is a rising problem. Currently, 10% of the adults in the Netherlands are (severely) lonely.
Cohousing is increasingly pointed at as part of the solution. There is no prior statistical research on the
relationship between cohousing and loneliness. Hence, this study aims to determine to what extent
adults that live in cohousing are less likely to be socially lonely. An online survey was used to gather
data of people who (want to) live in cohousing (N=263). Correlation analyses showed that cohousing
correlates with social loneliness. Frequency of neighbourhood contacts is the mediator in this
relationship. People who live in cohousing are likely to have more neighbourhood contacts and are thus
less socially lonely. However, those that live in cohousing and do not have frequent neighbourhood
contacts are still likely to be socially lonely, despite living in cohousing. Logistic regression showed
that while controlling for education, having an occupation and disability, cohousing residents are 80.5%
less likely to be socially lonely than those who want to live in cohousing but not do so yet.
Cohousing is increasingly pointed at as part of the solution. There is no prior statistical research on the
relationship between cohousing and loneliness. Hence, this study aims to determine to what extent
adults that live in cohousing are less likely to be socially lonely. An online survey was used to gather
data of people who (want to) live in cohousing (N=263). Correlation analyses showed that cohousing
correlates with social loneliness. Frequency of neighbourhood contacts is the mediator in this
relationship. People who live in cohousing are likely to have more neighbourhood contacts and are thus
less socially lonely. However, those that live in cohousing and do not have frequent neighbourhood
contacts are still likely to be socially lonely, despite living in cohousing. Logistic regression showed
that while controlling for education, having an occupation and disability, cohousing residents are 80.5%
less likely to be socially lonely than those who want to live in cohousing but not do so yet.
Research Interests:
Each Dutch city has post-war portiek neighborhoods that were build with the wijkgedachte in mind, a post-war design philosophy with the goal that neighborhoods within cities would grow into strong communities. Yet, paradoxically, nowadays... more
Each Dutch city has post-war portiek neighborhoods that were build with the wijkgedachte in mind, a post-war design philosophy with the goal that neighborhoods within cities would grow into strong communities. Yet, paradoxically, nowadays these are the places with complex soaring social problems like loneliness.
Redesigning these neighborhoods with more communal housing might not be the answer for many because most seniors do not want to leave their current house despite them being lonely in it. However, we can improve these neighborhoods with incremental alterations to let residents become more connected. We can do it without relying on just extravert humans who always seek out social contact. We can respectfully let the communities grow again, from bottom up.
Let’s not connect the dots. But let the dots connect! This handbook is an attempt to revive the ideals of wijkgedachte while acknowledging the realities of our current society. Based on interviews and the latest academic research, this handbook provides a phased approach that will bring back thriving communities in our post-war neighborhoods.
Redesigning these neighborhoods with more communal housing might not be the answer for many because most seniors do not want to leave their current house despite them being lonely in it. However, we can improve these neighborhoods with incremental alterations to let residents become more connected. We can do it without relying on just extravert humans who always seek out social contact. We can respectfully let the communities grow again, from bottom up.
Let’s not connect the dots. But let the dots connect! This handbook is an attempt to revive the ideals of wijkgedachte while acknowledging the realities of our current society. Based on interviews and the latest academic research, this handbook provides a phased approach that will bring back thriving communities in our post-war neighborhoods.