“Hosting is power and by having power you become visible.”- Sandi Hilal Urban loneliness We have become loners. Often, we feel loneliness, sadness because one has no company, are feeling remote or isolated. We are living so close to people we don’t know, sleeping just a meter from someone, who you don’t know more about than the name on the door. We are watching people’s perfect lives through a screen. Constantly connected but never really connecting. We feel the pressure of maintaining a flawless façade while at the same time feeling overlooked. Today, we are living in a society where independence and freedom is highly valued. The amount of people living alone are constantly increasing and today 40 % of the households consists of one person. At the same time, we can see a trend of increased loneliness. Almost 300 000 are socially isolated, ½ to 1 million is defined as socially alone and 1/6 answered that they don’t have a close friend. To have a society where you can be independent and have the freedom to form the life you want to live is essentially a great thing. The problem arises where there is no space to connect and you are unwillingly living a lonely life. We are living in new constellations, away from the nuclear-family and the built environment needs to follow, providing alternatives for dwelling and public spaces for interaction. Four layers of hosting Through the mapping, me and my partner Aida Davallou did in the autumn term, we found how hosting can be empowering, how hosting events connect people and how you get an instant friend inviting someone to your home, sharing your most private space. Hosting, or the act of inviting, is a great method to reduce the loneliness in the city and forms the entire project, from the public to the home. The public – Giving the opportunity for the citizens to act as hosts, arranging events for friends or forstrangers. The organizations – Organizations together with the community arranging open events to reduce loneliness.Providing a platform for interactions and new friendships, also for those without a socialcontext or invitation. The community – Open up their homes occasionally, inviting the public to small, more intimate dinner eventsheld from the common kitchens of the residents. The home – Inviting people into your everyday life through co-living. Giving social context whilesharing kitchen and living spaces. Also hosting temporary living for residents moving betweenmultiple homes. Food as connector In every event we analysed for the research food was an important factor, constantly present if not as the mainfocus. The smell or taste of a specific dish is one of the strongest impressions giving a sense of home. Food tends to bring people together and functions as a great catalyst for interactions. When everyone is gatheredaround the dining arrangement it is a perfect time to share how your day went, your best recipes or yourfavourite story. A peaceful time of the day to appreciate your friends and family or getting to know someonenew. That’s why food is a strong influence on the project. Togetherness The aim of this project is to provide a platform where everyone has the right to be a host, being empoweredand visible. This is the space for the citizens of Umeå to connect, as well as a home to share.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:umu-159762 |
| Date | January 2019 |
| Creators | Hermansson, Isabella |
| Publisher | Umeå universitet, Arkitekthögskolan vid Umeå universitet |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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